City Gallery Wellington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids City Gallery WellingtonTe Whare Toi |
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A trapeze art piece hanging outside the City Gallery.
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| Former names | Wellington Public Library |
| General information | |
| Type | Art Gallery |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | 8 Mercer Street, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°17′19″S 174°46′38″E / 41.288518°S 174.777270°E |
| Current tenants | City Gallery |
| Construction started | 1935 |
| Completed | 1940 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | reinforced concrete frame |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Floor area | 3,900 square metres |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Gummer and Ford |
| Other designers | Stuart Gardyne (refurbishment architect) |
| Awards and prizes | NZIA National Award 1994 |
City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi is a public art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand. It is a place where people can see amazing art from New Zealand and all over the world. The gallery is known for showing modern and thought-provoking art.
Contents
The Gallery's History
City Gallery Wellington first opened on September 23, 1980. Its first home was in an old office building. The very first exhibition was a show featuring artists from Wellington.
In 1993, the gallery moved to its current home in Civic Square. This move was a big deal, and the gallery was renamed City Gallery Wellington. Since 1995, the gallery has been managed by a group called Experience Wellington, which runs it for the Wellington City Council.
Temporary Closure for Upgrades
In late 2023, the gallery's leadership changed. In 2024, it was announced that the gallery would close for a while. This was because of construction work happening nearby and the need for the gallery building to get some important maintenance and updates.
The gallery is expected to reopen in mid-2026. While it was closed, some of its planned art shows were held at other places. For example, an exhibition called Generation X was shown at Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum. Another show, featuring artist Derek Jarman, was held at The Dowse Art Museum.
The Gallery's Building
The building that houses City Gallery Wellington was originally the Wellington Central Library. It was built in 1940 in the popular Art Deco style of that time. In 1981, the building was recognized as a Category 2 Historic Place, meaning it's an important part of New Zealand's history.
When the library moved to a new building in 1991, the old building was completely updated. It was changed to become a modern art gallery.
Famous Art on the Building
If you look at the outside of the gallery, you'll see a cool art piece called Fault. Created in 1994 by artists Bill Culbert and Ralph Hotere, it features two bright neon light strips that cut across the building's front.
From 2019 to 2024, a giant 5 m (16 ft) sculpture of a hand with a face on it sat on the gallery's roof. This sculpture was called Quasi and was made by artist Ronnie van Hout. In late 2024, Quasi was removed and sent to a new home in Australia.
Famous Exhibitions
The City Gallery has hosted many exciting art shows over the years. Here are a few highlights.
- 1986: David Hockney: Hockney's Photographs was a very popular show from an international artist. It was the first time visitors had to pay a fee to enter the gallery.
- 1986: Karanga Karanga was a special exhibition. It was the first time a public art gallery in New Zealand showed art created by a group of Māori women artists working together.
- 1990: Now See Hear! Art, Language and Translation was a huge exhibition. It included works from 236 artists from New Zealand and other countries.
- 1993: An exhibition of German artist Rosemarie Trockel opened the gallery's new building in Civic Square. It was so successful that it later traveled to a museum in Sydney, Australia.
- 2006: A show by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini attracted 120,000 visitors, which was a record for the gallery at the time.
- 2009: The exhibition Yayoi Kusama: Mirrored Years was one of the gallery's most popular shows ever, with over 88,000 people coming to see it.
The gallery has also shown the work of many other famous artists. These include Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring, and Tracey Emin, as well as top New Zealand artists like Rita Angus and Ralph Hotere.
