Friday, 01 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Obituary: Sir Peter Siddell

By Bob Harvey
28 Oct, 2011 04:30 PM2 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Artist Peter Siddell, 1935-2011. Photo / APN

Artist Peter Siddell, 1935-2011. Photo / APN

Sir Peter Siddell loved the bleak tapestry of the wild west coast, particularly the Karekare cliffs and seascape. His first exhibition in 1972 contained many small exquisite cliffs and rock images and a rare Siddell, Girl at the Gate, had a human figure.

The exhibition was a sellout and he immediately retired from teaching and became a full-time painter.

Born in the heart of old Auckland in Grey Lynn in 1935, he was a self-taught painter who was educated at Mt Albert Grammar School and Auckland College of Education. He left school to first become an electrician.

As a schoolboy, he delivered the morning newspapers on his bike around Ponsonby and Grey Lynn to rows of villas that he would later paint and transpose to unpopulated Auckland landscapes and fields of uncut grass. His landscapes depicted an unquiet stillness and his large canvases would boldly take in the whole coastline from Karekare to Whatipu.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

His magic realism of city and townscapes took the viewer into a secret journey of the interiors of pristine suburban double-storey, finial topped houses standing empty on the volcanic Auckland landscape.

Stunning in their realism, his composition of houses, landscapes, sky and cloud made a Siddell exhibition a highlight of the art scene.

His early love of mountain climbing, where he earned the nickname "Spin", saw him return to the southern landscapes in 2000 to paint fiords, Milford Sound and snowcapped mountains, but he continued to return to his small bach at Karekare with his wife, Lady Sylvia Siddell, also a painter, who passed away in August.

He was so successful his work was bought by major public art galleries, and Siddells graced corporate board rooms and foyers as well as institutional collections. Generous to a fault, he would donate work for charities and fundraising.

In 1990, he was made a companion of the Queen's Service Order, then knighted in 2008 - the same year he was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour.

In February this year, Random House published his book The Art of Peter Siddell. A retrospective exhibition of his life and work was later opened at Lopdell House.

Related articles

New Zealand|Politics

The people who would be entitled to be 'Sir' or 'Dame'

08 Mar 04:29 AM
New Zealand

Arise Sir Russell - 72 accept revived knighthoods

31 Jul 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Siddell book charts lifetime in painting

18 Mar 09:38 PM
Entertainment

TJ McNamara: Memories of past still have plenty of appeal

15 Jul 09:28 PM

He died at Mercy Hospice on Monday. He is survived by daughters Avril and Emily and three grandsons.

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Politics

NZ risks being an 'international outlier' over WHO opposition, Helen Clark says

01 Dec 04:24 AM
Crime

501 deportee viciously attacked juggling 'icon' who died in Loafers Lodge fire

01 Dec 04:13 AM
New Zealand

Wet start to summer, week ahead 'a little bit messier'

01 Dec 04:02 AM
Crime

Court hearing erupts as four appear in murder case of Mongrel Mob member

01 Dec 04:00 AM

Top toys of 2023 for kids & ‘kidults’

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

NZ risks being an 'international outlier' over WHO opposition, Helen Clark says

NZ risks being an 'international outlier' over WHO opposition, Helen Clark says

01 Dec 04:24 AM

NZ is one of just a handful of 194 member states raising concern over “minor” policy.

501 deportee viciously attacked juggling 'icon' who died in Loafers Lodge fire

501 deportee viciously attacked juggling 'icon' who died in Loafers Lodge fire

01 Dec 04:13 AM
Wet start to summer, week ahead 'a little bit messier'

Wet start to summer, week ahead 'a little bit messier'

01 Dec 04:02 AM
Court hearing erupts as four appear in murder case of Mongrel Mob member

Court hearing erupts as four appear in murder case of Mongrel Mob member

01 Dec 04:00 AM
Toy trends for Christmas
sponsored

Toy trends for Christmas

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP