New Zealand Portrait Gallery facts for kids
New Zealand Portrait Gallery at Shed 11
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Location | Shed 11, Queen's Wharf, Wellington Waterfront |
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata is a cool art gallery located in Wellington, New Zealand. It's found in a special building called Shed 11, right by the waterfront. This gallery is all about showing off amazing portraits of people from New Zealand.
Contents
About the Gallery
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery started in 1990. It was set up as a charitable trust, which means it's a group that works for the public good.
Growing the Collection
In 2005, the gallery hired its first paid director, Avenal McKinnon. She helped the gallery grow a lot. When she started, they only had six artworks. By the time she left in 2014, the collection had more than 200 portraits! Later, Gaelen Macdonald and then Jaenine Parkinson became directors, continuing to guide the gallery.
Where to Find It
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery has its permanent home in a historic building called Shed 11. This building is on Wellington's Queens Wharf, right by the water.
A Historic Home
Shed 11 was built a long time ago, in 1904–1905. It was designed by William Ferguson, who was the chief engineer for the Wellington Harbour Board. In 1985, Shed 11 was turned into a gallery space. The New Zealand Portrait Gallery moved in and got a long-term lease for the building in 2010.
What You Can See
The gallery has a special collection of portraits. These artworks are either by New Zealand artists or show important New Zealanders. You can see portraits of many famous people here.
Famous Faces
Some of the well-known people whose portraits are in the collection include:
- Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb Mount Everest.
- Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, a world-famous opera singer.
- Sir Peter Blake, a legendary sailor.
- Janet Frame, a very important writer.
A Royal Portrait
In 2014, the gallery asked a New Zealand artist, Nick Cuthell, to paint a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The artist painted her while she was sitting for him. This special portrait was shown to the public by His Royal Highness Prince William. The ceremony happened at Government House, and the portrait now hangs at the gallery in Shed 11.
Online Collection
You can also explore many of the gallery's artworks from home! They have made their collection available online here.
Awards and Competitions
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery also hosts two big art competitions. These happen every two years. They are the Adam Portraiture Award and the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award. These awards encourage artists to create new and exciting portraits.
