Wellington architect Bill Toomath was a key figure in New Zealand modernist architecture. His architecture was driven by a commitment to rational design, economy of means, and clarity of form, technique, and structure, while paying attention to local climate and materials. He helped transform New Zealanders’ homes from compartmentalised boxes into continuous, open-plan spaces that were practical, enjoyable, and liveable. Liberating Everyday Life addresses several projects from his lengthy career. It tracks his development from his 1949 thesis design for a waterfront-sited National Art Museum to the study he recently built into his Roseneath house, which precisely replicates a fifteenth century Antonello da Messina painting, St Jerome in his Study. The show's layout reflects the design and layout the house Toomath designed for his parents in 1948.
