Gifted: A Legacy of Generosity has a particular focus on gifts received over the past decade while the Sarjeant Gallery was closed and operations were hosted from a temporary location on Taupō Quay. Because of the limitations of available space at the temporary gallery, Sarjeant on the Quay, many of the recently acquired works are on display for the first time.
The show is divided into sections that celebrate different types of gifts and effectively tells some of the benefactors’ stories.
“It’s a really interesting way to look at the collection, not just the story of each artist or the subject of the works, but the story of how they came to be in the collection is interesting in itself, because it’s the story of the Sarjeant Gallery.”
The stories are as varied as the artworks.
Among a selection of portraits are paintings that benefited from conservation treatment thanks to funds donated to the gallery by the B. and C. Hewett Charitable Trust - among them The Blue Feather by Vivian Smith. Before treatment, the feather was invisible, Clifford said.
A recent bequest from author and historian, the late Diana Beaglehole (1938-2025), includes Kauri 1953, a Colin McCahon painting from his Titirangi period, and an early Frances Hodgkins, Māori Woman and Man in an Old Canoe 1900.
Beaglehole, who was born in Whanganui and taught in the city, was an enthusiastic supporter and visitor to the Sarjeant Gallery.
“It’s a really beautiful bequest that she’s left us. McCahon is such an important New Zealand artist, so this fleshes out this part of the collection really nicely and covers a key period of his work that we didn’t have. And the Hodgkins too, because early female modernist painters are a big part of the Sarjeant Gallery collection story.”
Another exciting acquisition is an untitled work painted in 1980 by Michael Illingworth. It is one of his most notable paintings and has been gifted to the gallery by the late Sir Bob Jones (1939-2025), who visited the gallery a number of times. On one occasion, former director Bill Milbank invited him and his colleagues into the office for a cup of tea.
“Sir Bob was taken by the hospitality but he also noted that we have works by some key artists, but not necessarily the greatest works by those artists. He [purportedly commented] ‘What they need is a really good one’ so he’s passed this important work, and one of his favourite artworks, to the Sarjeant Gallery.”
Over time, many artists have generously gifted works to the collection.
Still Life with Ukelele and Dragon Vase 1986 by Dick Frizzell was a recent gift from the artist to accompany the jug made by potter Paul Maseyk as part of the popular exhibition Jugs in New Zealand Painting, which showed at the Sarjeant Gallery in March to June this year.
The jug that inspired Maseyk in Frizzell’s piece was painted from a different angle.
“Dick saw the show and the Maseyk vase, and I asked him, does he still have that jug? Is it a real jug or something he made up? He sent me back a photo of the jug and the same glass container that was also in the painting, which he still has,” Clifford said.
“He then got in touch to say, ‘If you guys have got that [Maseyk] jug, well, I’ve got another painting that should probably stay with it if you’d like it’. So we promptly arranged to acquire the jug and he then gifted the painting.
“All galleries are reliant on philanthropy in some way or other. There’s just not enough budget to do what you want, but to have entirely created a collection through bequests and endowments is probably quite unique.”
Gifted: A Legacy of Generosity is on display at Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery until March 15.
