Govett-Brewster Art Gallery facts for kids
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is a cool place to see modern art in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. It's known around the world for its amazing contemporary art. The gallery gets help from the New Plymouth District Council to keep running.
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How the Gallery Started
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery began thanks to a generous gift from a woman named Monica Brewster. She lived in New Plymouth and in 1962, she gave £50,000 to help create a public art gallery. Later, in 1970, she gave another £72,000 to start building a permanent art collection.
In 1967, a 24-year-old Australian teacher named John Maynard arrived in New Plymouth. He was hired to be the director and help create a contemporary art gallery. Maynard didn't want to build a typical local gallery. He wanted to focus on new and exciting art forms.
Maynard helped turn the old Regent cinema building into the gallery. He also decided that the gallery would collect new types of art and sculptures. It would especially support artists from New Zealand and the Pacific Rim. The gallery first opened its doors on 22 February 1970. The very first art show was called Real Time by Leon Narby. An art critic named Hamish Keith said this show was a "major breakthrough" for New Zealand art.
Gallery Expansion in 1998
The gallery got bigger in 1998 with a new extension. This part was designed to give more space for art shows and to store the collection of works by Len Lye. It also added a special area for education programs.
The Len Lye Centre
The Len Lye Centre is a special part of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. It was built to show the amazing artworks of Len Lye. The building was designed by Andrew Patterson from New Zealand. It also holds all of Len Lye's old papers and studio items.
Len Lye was born in Christchurch in 1901. He taught himself a lot and loved motion, energy, and creating art from them. Lye traveled far from New Zealand. He lived in London and New York. There, he became famous for making creative films and sculptures that moved.
The Len Lye Centre opened on 25 July 2015. It's the first gallery in New Zealand that is completely dedicated to just one artist!
Awards and Recognition
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery has won many awards for its work:
- 2009: The Arts Foundation of New Zealand, Governor's Award
- 2011: The Big ‘A’ Creative New Zealand Arts for All Award
- 2016: Designers Institute of New Zealand, Best Design Award, Large Brand Identity
Gallery Directors
Here are some of the people who have led the gallery over the years:
- John Maynard (1967–1971)
- Robert Ballard (1971–1975)
- Ron O'Reilly (1975–1979)
- Dick Bett (1979–1984)
- Cheryll Sotheran (1984–1989)
- John McCormack (1990–1993)
- Priscilla Pitts (1993–1998)
- Gregory Burke (1998–2005)
- Rhana Devenport (2006–2013)
- Simon Rees (2014–2018)
- Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh (2019–2020)
- Zara Stanhope (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Galería de Arte Govett-Brewster para niños
