Nigel Brown: The Written Word

Many New Zealanders are familiar with Nigel Brown’s portrayal of New Zealand men in black singlets and of historical identities such as James Cook and James K. Baxter. These are images that challenge us to reflect on our history and contemporary social and environmental issues. According to Stephen Higginson, Brown is “acknowledged as New Zealand’s most significant narrative artist”:

“Nigel Brown tells visual stories using history, character, cultural emblems and motifs. His works are political and purposeful with his painterly objectives varying from the didactic to social investigation and celebration. At the very heart of his work sits the individual and the relationships between male and female, between place and use, between gesture and meaning.” (S. Higginson, 2009, Nigel Brown: All Our Days, p. 45)

Nigel Brown has a very clear sense of purpose:
“I want a human face to my art. Art can be a product of a person in the greatest sense. My concern is with the dilemma of modern existence…the ongoing frailty of humanity’s material – moral and spiritual. An art that has no humanity or concern means nothing to me. The challenge is to be direct and look continually with a fresh vision on the world at hand. I’m less interested in painting as painting. I’m more interested in it as a vehicle to express and explore ideas…”
(G. O’Brien, 1991, Nigel Brown, p. 9)

Nigel Brown generously donated his Urewera print series to the Tairawhiti Museum fine arts collection in 1994 and these are included in the exhibition along with paintings on loan from the Wallace Collection and the artist’s private collection.