Turning 50 is a major milestone in anyone's life including the Friends of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery which has been supporting the gallery since 1971.
With a retro 1970s theme, the Friends are hosting a party in the gallery on Saturday, June 25 complete with mirror balls and disco music to hark back to those hedonistic days when Leon Narby's interactive installation Real Time was the gallery's first exhibition.
Friends, and friends of friends are invited to the event to honour all the work by the group to support the gallery over the years, says the Friends' president, Chris Herlihy.
"From its first exhibition, the gallery broke new ground in New Zealand Aotearoa with its focus on contemporary art."
Chris says it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, so to support, promote and advocate on behalf of the gallery, the Friends were formed in the first year of the gallery's opening.