Exhibitions
Events
On display
Bad Hair Day
Leo Bensemann St Olaf c.1937. Oil on canvas on board. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Lawrence Baigent / Robert Erwin Bequest 2003
Talk
Past event
Meet at the front desk
Free
Our latest exhibition features hair in many guises – flowing or cropped, flaxen or raven. Whatever style or colour, hair has long been the focus of attention.
Join curator Ken Hall as he walks you through an eclectic range of hair in art.
Related
Commentary
Hair Story
In drawing attention to the theatre of personal grooming, Bad Hair Day brings together portraiture and caricature with a variety of less readily classifiable works of art. The densely packed selection spans a vast historical range. And in putting bowl cuts and bushy beards alongside wayward wigs and whiskers, it highlights the sometimes comical aspects of hair, especially when styles are extreme. If wry intent is discernible throughout the exhibition, however, we shouldn’t let this fool us: hair is a topic that easily turns serious.