Come and stretch your creative muscles by joining one of our most popular and long-running groups! Come on down to the New Zealand Portrait Gallery for an afternoon of portraiture on the last Saturday of each month 1 - 3pm (dates occasionally subject to change due to holidays or exhibition changeovers).

These free portraiture sessions are for everyone - from the complete beginner to accomplished artists, and are relaxed, informal and fun.  BYO own materials, or we also provide basic supplies here if you want to just have a go. 

We're a friendly bunch - we don't judge and we don't peek (unless you want us to - always happy to share). See you there!

Come visit the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Friday 27 November for the opportunity to hear Grant Hall, curator of 'Star Gossage: He Tangata The People' and friend of the artist, in conversation with our director Jaenine Parkinson.

Grant and Jaenine will discuss Star Gossage’s work and artistic practice, as well as the curation of the exhibition. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions on Star Gossage and the exhibition.

The Curator Talk is an insightful introduction to the exhibition; make sure to pop it into your diaries now!

A conversation between author and curator Leonard Bell and Professor Daniel Brown will be held at the Gallery this Sunday 8 November at 1pm to close out the exhibition 'Marti Friedlander: Portraits of the Artists'.

Leonard Bell, author of 'Marti Friedlander: Portraits of the Artists' will discuss Marti’s work and life with collector and friend of the artist, Professor Daniel Brown.

It's not to be missed!

Free entry, all welcome.

2019 Liz Stringer Curatorial Intern Georgie Keyes will talk about her exhibition, the thinking behind her choices, and will chat with artist Gina Matchitt abouit her work.

Free entry, all welcome!

The second in a series of talks by Adam 2020 finalists, Wairarapa (and Alaska)-based artist Stephen Lawrie will discuss his work, process, and life in Alaska and NZ.

Stephen Lawrie was born in Wellington in 1953. He first visited Alaska in 1973 and since then has split his time between New Zealand and Alaska where he is self-employed as a commercial salmon fisherman. Fishing has facilitated his artistic career in New Zealand and Alaska.

Image: Stephen Lawrie, Friday After Work With Emma 2017 (Emma Lowe), acrylic on canvas.

In the first of a series of talks by Adam 2020 finalists, Taranaki-based Artist Jana Branca will discuss her work and practice.

Jana's work has been recognised and exhibited by prestigious art institutions in South Africa and New Zealand. She is inspired by themes of the 'human condition’ and is particularly intrigued by ‘the flesh’ as a physical manifestation of humanity. 

Image: Jana Branca, Gravity 2019 (Franco Branca), oil on plywood.

Join us at the gallery at 10.30am for a screening of Cast Out:逐 by Wellington filmaker Matilda Boese-Wong. Matilda will also speak about the fim and hold a question and answer session after the screening. All welcome, free entry.

Cast Out:逐’ is a short documentary piece about a Newtown man, Kim Lee, who in 1903 was exiled to Mokopuna Island in Wellington/Pōneke harbour. It examines the issues that marginalised immigrants of Aotearoa faced then and now, while it sheds light on an often overlooked part of Wellington's/Pōneke's history. The wrongs enacted upon Lee cast an all too familiar shadow upon experiences of today's New Zealanders. 

New Zealand born and raised film and documentary maker, Matilda Boese-Wong has a strong focus on broadening representation in our media landscape. As an Asian New Zealander she has felt deeply effected by the lack of diversity on our screens, and is striving to elevate voices that tend to be unheard in a genuine and compelling way. Throughout the past few years she has been involved in fiction film, documentary, music videos and commercial work. In March she will have completed her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Film. 

Hot on the heels of her fabulously successful "Dessertslands" in WOAP (Wellington On A Plate), the talented Caitlin le Harivel returns to the New Zealand Portrait Gallery with a new foodie experience created especially for the gallery:

Eat Your Art Out:  an edible art experience inspired by Poutokomanawa: The Carmen Rupe Generation and Jaqueline Fahey’s Suburbanites

Step back in time to an edible world of art....

 To celebrate the final night of these fantastic kiwi exhibitions there will be a range of retro treats inspired by the artwork on display. Sip on some “sly grog” and take yourself back to a time when late-night coffee bars covertly sold unlicensed alcohol hidden in teapots or coffee cups. Taste a melting fondue sculpture, create your own edible art and eat from the walls in this interactive art experience-all while enjoying your own private viewing of the exhibitions at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.

The Menu includes such tantilising items as:

+Cheese Fondue "Cakes": swiss cheese, local sauvignon blanc, a bit of smoke and a lick of garlic
+Carmen's chilli crush Lipstick: Edible chocolate, chilli & vanilla ganache
+Sly Grog: forget prohibition days with a decadent spiked real chocolate & coffee hot drink. *non-alcoholic option available
+"Wallpaper": Embrace your inner child and eat biscuits from the walls.

....and more!

Caitlin Le Harivel has drawn her inspiration from Fahey’s bold artwork and the iconic figures and fascinating stories of Poutokomanawa: The Carmen Rupe Generation. Jacqueline Fahey’s vibrant domestic scenes and emotionally complex paintings such as “The Brush is My Sword, the Palette is my shield” inspired her Edible paints and Cheese Fondue sculptures. She was also particularly inspired by the important role these powerful transgender woman and coffee houses (such as the Evergreen and Carmen’s Coffee Lounge) played in creating places of safety and support in the community.

·      Cheese Fondue Sculptures: seemingly solid “cakes” that will transform into a gooey fondue made of swiss cheese, local sauvignon blanc, a bit of smoke and lick of garlic. The cakes would happily sit on a table in one of Fahey’s many domestic scenes.

·      Chrissy’s Chilli Crush Lipstick: Inspired by the glamorous transgender women of the time, these edible lipstick’s ask you to embrace your inner ‘Queen of the Evergreen” and dress up with an edible lipstick made from white chocolate, chilli & vanilla ganache. Alongside Carmen, Chrissy Witoko who was known as Queen of the Evergreen, was one of the major players in the Wellington nightlife scene. Chrissy Witoko’s niece “Mischellè Tohu’s favourite childhood pastimes was to dress up in her Aunt Chris’s collection of elegant shiny hats, glittery dresses, jewellery and high stiletto shoes. She and her cousins would wait until Chrissy left the house to then try on all her special outfits ‘and pretend we’re in the fairy tale books’.”

·      Sly Grog: a decadent spiked real chocolate & coffee hot drink.  As “the licensed bars closed (at 11:30pm), late night coffee bars began to covertly sell unlicensed alcohol – known as sly grog. Coffee was often laced with whisky, or alcohol was sold straight from teapots or served in coffee cups.”

·(Quotes from https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/3751)

Indulge your childhood memories and have a taste of this unique one-off experience.

*Included in the ticket price are two alcoholic beverages. Further alcohol will be available for purchase on the night.

Tickets are strictly limited and availble through Eventfinda here.

Hosted by CLH Caitlin le Harivel

Can the arts and creativity help address significant national concerns about mental health, social inclusion, an ageing population, and social and cultural inequalities? 
Join our panelists Richard Benge (Arts Access Aotearoa), Aroha Rangi (Creative NZ), Sue Orr (Write Where You Are), Tānemahuta Gray (Taki Rua) & Stephanie Clare (Age Concern NZ), as they discuss this important issue. Chaired by Hon Grant Robertson.

The New Zealand Portrait Gallery is pleased to announce the establishment of an annual lecture on portrait art and its place in our society.  The lecture series is to honour the contribution of Dr Keith Ovenden to the development of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.  Keith has kindly agreed to give the inaugural lecture on Thursday 15 August.

Why are portrait galleries increasingly popular destinations in major capitals like London?  This lecture explores the idea of a national portrait gallery as an essential component of a civilised society’s understanding and preservation of its history.

Dr Keith Ovenden has been involved with the New Zealand Portrait Gallery for 14 years, initially as Chairman of the Programme Committee, then as a Trustee, and most recently as Chairman of the Board (2012-18).  He is a writer who began his professional life as a university lecturer and has taken a life-long interest in the visual arts.

Join photographer Edith Amituanai and art dealer Anna Miles as they talk about Edith's work, choices for the exhibitio "Edith and George: in our sea of islands", and about having a "conversation" with George Crummer across the Pacific and across time.

Edith will also announce the winner of the Photobooth Competition!

Free Entry