John Drawbridge: Wide Open Interior

7 December 2001 - 10 February 2002 in the Entire Gallery
This exhibition continues City Gallery Wellington's commitment to supporting important mid-career artists. Wellington artist John Drawbridge has been a leading figure in New Zealand printmaking since his return from study in England and Europe in the mid-1960s. He has also produced some of the best-known public murals in this country—major examples being sited in the Beehive, the National Archives, Radio New Zealand House and the National Library. His work as a painter is less known but certainly as impressive. Melding influences from his time abroad with the physical environment of Island Bay, Wellington—where he has lived since 1965—he has produced an immense body of work.

Curated by City Gallery Wellington's Gregory O’Brien, Drawbridge is the first exhibition to present this artist's paintings and prints on a major scale. It features 20 major oil paintings and over 50 etchings, watercolours and works on paper. Investigations are underway to include works by European Masters such as Picasso and Malevich which have inspired Drawbridge’s artistic practice