Art
After Bathing At Baxter's, 2002 is Greg O'Brien's (writer, painter and curator) personal exploration of some of the important New Zealand poets and painters of the 20th Century, beginning - as the title suggests - with James K. Baxter.
FigureWork: The Nude and Life Modelling in New Zealand Art (2002) by Sandra Chesterman traces the traditions of life drawing from its classical roots through to the current resurgence in life drawing classes. It provides an insight into the role of the life model and how the nude has been depicted.
The image always has the last word: On Contemporary New Zealand Painting and Photography (2002) by Laurence Simmons, examines in detail the work of seven major twentieth-century New Zealand painters and photographers.
Painting
Colin McCahon is the first New Zealand painter of major international importance, and his stature in the arts of Australasia is unique. Colin McCahon: A Question of Faith is a landmark book for anyone with an interest in New Zealand's art and culture. Craig Potton Publishing
Gretchen Albrecht is one of New Zealand's most popular and enduring contemporary artists. She is best known for her bold and strikingly coloured ovals and hemispheres. Gretchen Albrecht: Illuminations (2002) includes 36 of her major paintings and three essays that examine her work in the context of New Zealand art history. Published by Random House.
A Tourist in Paradise-The Art of Michael Illingworth (2001) is the first ever survey of the late artists' work in a public gallery. An unique, under-recognised artist, Illingworth is notable for his emblematic, figurative paintings, images of suburbia and his deft satire of convention-ridden society. Published by City Gallery, Wellington.
An Orange in a Fried Fish Shop (2003) is a collection of works by artist Robert McLeod. This small publication is a worthwhile record of one of New Zealand's most dynamic abstract artists. Craig Potton Publishing
Venus on a Beach Towel: The Paintings of Lindsey Dawson (2003). David Eggleton writes, '... Crooks' main subject ... is the human figure. The people he depicts are buoyant, jolly, life-affirming figures ... which celebrate ordinary things, ordinary pleasures: the everyday world.' Craig Potton Publishing
Don Binney: Nga Manu/Nga Motu — Birds/Islands (2003) by Damian Skinner. Binney is a well-known artist whose signature paintings of birds and landscape, in strong lines and colours, are instantly recognisable. The paintings first appeared in the 1960s and seemed to capture the mood of the times, seeming to express a distinctive New Zealand identity.
Marilynn Webb: Prints and Pastels (2004) by Bridie Lonie and Marilynn Webb. Of part Nga Puhi descent Marilyn Webb’s work makes us aware that we are always in the landscape, and draws us into the environmental and social issues surrounding it.
Rosalie Gascoigne: Plain Air, edited by Gregory O'Brien (2004). Gascoigne created art that was a song - or an 'air' in the Shakespearean sense- in praise of the infinite Australian plains. Gascoigne's artwork - made of raod signs, roofing iron and other cast-off materials - is also a hymn to experience and memory. Alongside black and white portraits by Marti Friedlander, the book contains colour reproductions of over thirty artworks.
Shane Cotton (2004). Shane Cotton is one of Aotearoa's leading contemporary painters. Dealing with issues of land, spirit and identity Cotton's work has helped redefine the nature of contemporary Maori artistic practice. City Gallery, Wellington
John Kinder's New Zealand (2004). The Reverend Doctor John Kinder was one of New Zealand's most influential 19thc. Anglican ministers and teachers. At the same time he was also one of its most committed and peripatetic amateur artists. Auckland Art Gallery
Photography
Marti Friedlander: Photographs (2001) contains 150 photographs by one of New Zealand's senior and significant artists. Friedlander was the first camera artist to independently document the changing nature of contemporary post-war New Zealand as seen in the protest movement, the women's movement, Maori society, the changed role of men in NZ, and in Pacific Island society. Random House
Maori Art: The Photography of Brian Brake (2004). In this collection iconic images of Uenuku and Pukaki take their place alongside representations of humble daily objects. Recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest photographers, the book makes a statement not only of Maori art history, but also the career of a man who sought perfection in photographic endeavour.
Through the Lens:Three Decades of New Zealand News Photography (2003) by John Selkirk and Ian Stuart. As a news photographer for the Dominion, John Selkirk captured the key events and personalities that shaped modern New Zealand. In this book he collects 175 of his best images to create a fascinating visual record of New Zealand’s modern history.
George D. Valentine: A 19th Century Photographer in New Zealand (Craig Potton Publishing, 2004) by Ken Hall details the remarkable story of George D. Valentine (1852-1890), one of the foremost 19th century photographers to work in New Zealand. Valentine took a particular interest in the geothermal region around Rotorua, creating an unparalleled series of images of the celebrated Pink and White Terraces.
Maori & Pacific Art
Taiawhio (2002) is a collection of conversation-based essays on contemporary Maori Artists working in a wide and diverse range of media, from weaving and carving to painting and sculpture, from film and video to photography and poetry. Te Papa Press
Samoan Art and Artists (2002) by Sam Mallon is the first broad survey of Samoan art since the 1930s. Sam Mallon is of Samoan/Irish descent and works at Te Papa as Collection Manager, Pasifika. Craig Potton Publishing
The Book of the Black Star (2002 by Albert Wendt combines words and images in short poems, drawing on Samoan language and myth, on dreams and memories, as well as on the daily life of the poet.
Tai Tokerau Whakairo Rakau: Northland Maori Wood Carving (2003) by Dierdre Brown is an introduction to Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) whakairo rakau (Maori Wood Carving) and is a fascinating and comprehensive guide to some of the earliest and most beautiful works of Maori craftmanship. Reed Publishing
Sculpture
New Zealand Sculpture: A History (2002) by Michael Dunn, presents a concise history of New Zealand sculpture since colonial times. Extensively illustrated, includes a biography and reading lists for each major artist. Professor Michael Dunn is head of School of the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland University Press
Chris Booth: Sculpture in Europe, Australia (2001) by Edward Lucie-Smith, Ken Scarlett and Gregory O'Brien. Chris Booth is one of New Zealand's most exciting contemporary sculptors. Best known for his large stone columns and environmental sculptures, he has produced major works in New Zealand and internationally. Random House New Zealand
Len Castle: Potter, with contributors. Len Castle is one of New Zealand's pre-eminent potters, whose work over the past fifty years epitomises the vitality of the 20th century craft movement. Craig Potton Publishing
Music
Songs of a Kaumatua,by Mervyn McLean and Margaret Orbell presents sixty traditional songs sung by Kino Hughes (1896-1986) a respected Tuhoe kaumatua, singer and orator. The Maori text of each song is followed by an English translation. Auckland University Press
To Tatau Waka: In Search of Maori Music 1958-1979 by Mervyn McClean (2004). A leading ethnomusicologist tells the story of his fieldwork recording waiata and other traditional maori songs over a span of more than twenty years from 1958-1979. His recordings have revitalised Maori music in many tribal areas and have preserved the songs and voices of many kaumatua.
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