Imants Tillers

This painting was displayed with this label to mark the death of the artist in March 2024.

The team here at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū was saddened to hear of the recent death of local artist, writer and reviewer Pat Unger, and our thoughts go out to her family and friends. Pat was a passionate supporter of the Gallery, generously donating to our Foundation and heavily involved with the Friends of the Gallery during the 1980s. She was often to be found in our library, deep in her research and writing, where her friendly nature and sharp sense of humour were appreciated by those of us who regularly crossed her path.

Born in the Waikato, Pat moved to Ōtautahi Christchurch in 1967 with her husband, Ralf, where they raised their family. She took up graphic design in her forties, studying at the Christchurch Polytechnic before going on to major in painting at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts in the late 1970s under Don Peebles and Bill Sutton. Pat exhibited regularly in Christchurch during the 1980s and 1990s, including Passport Issue, a solo exhibition held at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in 1996. Pat also worked as an art reviewer for The Press and was a regular contributor to Art New Zealand at this time. Pat is well remembered as an ardent supporter and champion of Canterbury artist Bill Sutton, for whom she wrote three books including his biography, Bill’s Story.

Rest in peace, Pat.

Colin McCahon was an important figure in Jonathan Mane-Wheoki’s (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kuri) life – first a family friend when Mane-Wheoki’s family moved to Titirangi in the 1950s, and then a teacher when he attended the night classes McCahon taught in the attic of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. While he was a student at the University of Canterbury, Mane-Wheoki frequently visited the Robert McDougall Art Gallery to view McCahon’s Tomorrow will be the same but not as this is, and the work held a special place in his heart. The other two works shown here were purchased when Mane-Wheoki was in London studying at the Courtauld Institute of Art. While there, he was commissioned by the McDougall Gallery to purchase works for the collection. In 1974, Mane-Wheoki recommended the entire budget he had available be allocated for the purchase of this Degas etching, and the following year he secured this Andy Warhol print, both small yet exemplary international works.

(Living Archives, 25 October 2025 – 8 March 2026, exhibited alongside 'Manet assis, tourné à droite' by Edgar Degas and 'Mao tse-Tung' by Andy Warhol)