This exhibition is now closed
A selection of the books given to the Gallery library by Professor John Simpson.
In 2018, Professor John Simpson, former head of the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts presented a fine collection of books to the Gallery library in memory of his late wife Ming. This generous act was in addition to a gift of objects to the Gallery’s art collection. Featuring books on architecture, furniture, exploration and natural history, all are distinguished by their historical importance and – superbly engraved and beautifully bound – by their quality as books. The early Italian edition of Vitruvius is an exception: rather scruffily produced but of immense historical importance and a cornerstone of the written history of architecture. Any of these books can be consulted in the Gallery’s Robert and Barbara Stewart Library and Archives.
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Date:
6 December 2019 – 8 March 2020 -
Curator:
Tim Jones -
Exhibition number:
1096
Related
Interview
John Simpson
Early in 2017, Professor John Simpson, the former head of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, approached the Gallery’s then director, Jenny Harper, with a proposition: he had been considering the future of the art collection he had accumulated over the past six decades, and wished to know whether the Gallery would be interested in selecting a group of works for a gift. My colleague Ken Hall and I visited John one afternoon in March. It quickly became apparent to us that the collection was significant and that the offer was particularly generous. Interestingly, we discovered that the works variously represented John’s own artistic interests and his national and international artworld connections. As such, they told a story of art and art history that usefully expanded the local account.