Barry Lett Galleries facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barry Lett Galleries |
|
|---|---|
The Barry Lett Galleries pictured in the early 1970s
|
|
| General information | |
| Location | Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD |
| Coordinates | 36°50′55″S 174°45′50″E / 36.8485°S 174.7640°E |
Barry Lett Galleries was a special art gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It showed and sold modern art made by artists from New Zealand during the 1960s and 1970s.
Contents
The Gallery's Beginning
.jpg)
The Barry Lett Galleries opened its doors in 1965. It was started by three people: Barry Lett (who lived from 1940 to 2017), Rodney Kirk Smith (1938-1996), and Frank Lowe.
Barry Lett had just finished his art studies at the Elam School of Fine Arts. Frank Lowe had experience running another art space called Ikon Gallery.
Why the Gallery Was Needed
In the early 1960s, many new art galleries started in Auckland. These galleries helped people see and buy modern New Zealand art. The Ikon Gallery, which had shown famous artists like Colin McCahon and Don Binney, closed down.
Barry Lett Galleries helped fill this gap. Another gallery, New Vision Gallery, also opened around the same time to show new art.
Famous Artists Shown
Barry Lett Galleries displayed works by many important New Zealand painters from the 1960s and 1970s. These included:
- Colin McCahon
- Don Binney
- Pat Hanly
- Milan Mrkusich
- Gordon Walters
- Ralph Hotere
- Michael Smither
- Michael Illingworth
- Robert Ellis
- Roy Good
The gallery also showed art by "post-object" artists like Jim Allen. These artists often created art that wasn't just paintings or sculptures. They explored new ideas and ways of making art.
Ten-Year Celebration
In 1975, the gallery celebrated its tenth birthday. They held a special exhibition. It featured two artworks from 14 of their main artists. This included well-known names like McCahon, Binney, Hotere, and Illingworth.
Changes Over Time
Frank Lowe sold his share of the gallery in 1966 to Kim Wright. In 1975, Barry Lett decided to leave the gallery to focus on his own painting. Rodney Kirk-Smith continued to run the gallery.
In 1976, the gallery changed its name to RKS Art. RKS Art kept operating until July 1992.
Making Art More Accessible
In 1968, Barry Lett Galleries created a special collection of prints. These prints were made by 12 of the gallery's artists. The idea was to make modern art easier for more people to own.
The prints were sold for $35 before they were officially released, and $40 afterward. Barry Lett chose artists he thought were "up and coming" or becoming popular. It's believed that between 200 and 250 copies of each print were made.
Artists Who Exhibited
Many talented artists showed their work at Barry Lett Galleries. Here are some of them:
- Gretchen Albrecht
- Don Binney
- Paul Cullen
- Robert Ellis
- Suzanne Goldberg
- Roy Good
- Pat Hanly
- Ralph Hotere
- Michael Illingworth
- Tom Kreisler
- Vivian Lynn
- David Mealing
- Selwyn Muru
- Milan Mrkusich
- Leon Narbey
- Don Peebles
- John Perry
- Ross Ritchie
- Michael Smither
- Paul Tangata
- Geoff Thornley
- Teuane Tibbo
- M.T. Woollaston
