Exhibitions
Events
On display
Robe by Francis Shurrock
Francis Shurrock Robe 1912 Hand-painted fabric.
Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2021
Art Bite
Meet in the exhibition
Free
Join art historian Dorle Pauli as she discusses Francis Shurrock's Robe, inspired by the traditional Japanese kimono, on display in Dear Shurrie: Francis Shurrock and his Contemporaries on the ground floor.
Art Bites are 30-minute lunchtime presentations on a single work on display, presented by our staff, guides and guest speakers.
There's a new Art Bite to enjoy each Friday at 12 noon (except during public and school holidays).
Related reading: Free event
Exhibition
Dear Shurrie: Francis Shurrock and his contemporaries
8 March – 13 July 2025
The art, influence and friendships of sculptor and teacher Francis Shurrock.
Collection
Francis A. Shurrock Untitled
This robe, inspired by the traditional Japanese kimono, was made and hand-painted by Shurrock while he was studying at the Royal College of Art in London in 1912. It highlights the influence of Japanese art on Western culture at the time. Artists such as James Whistler and post-impressionists like Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh were inspired by ukiyo-e prints. This robe also reveals the eccentricities of Shurrock’s character that made him stand out in the conservative town of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Juliet Peter recalled Shurrock’s colleagues at the Canterbury College School of Art wearing “suits, ties and shoes”, whereas Shurrock walked around in a “coarse sculptor’s smock, with (usually) a red and white checked gingham shirt, open at the neck and sandals”.
(Dear Shurrie: Francis Shurrock and his contemporaries, 8 March – 13 July 2025)
