Mostly known and admired for his renditions of the Canterbury landscape, Bill Sutton also attained an outstanding reputation as a portraitist during his lifetime. This exhibition seeks to bring to the public’s attention this often overlooked aspect of his career through a small selection of the more than 100 portraits he painted. It follows his development as a portraitist, illustrating the range of subjects he painted, such as academics, business leaders and scientists: a sample of enterprising New Zealanders from all walks of life.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pukenga Whakaata this exhibition also shows Bill Sutton’s support for the founding of the Gallery to which he offered his help to realise such a “good idea.”