Exhibitions Dunedin

ROGER COLLINS

OPENING OF THE BOSSHARD GALLERIES

A start has already been made, in the pages of the Bulletin of New Zealand Art History, on the writing of the history of the dealer galleries in Auckland and their role in the development of modern New Zealand art. When it comes to Dunedin's turn the future historian should dwell on the hey-day of the Roslyn Gallery in the 'sixties, when works by Mrkusich, McCahon, Woollaston, Hos, Keith Paterson, Drawbridge, Quentin McFarlane and others were seen there; on the brief but brilliant career of Dawsons Gallery in the late 'sixties and early seventies, when McCahon, Hotere, Jeffrey Harris, Michael Smither and Marte Szirmay were frequent exhibitors; and on the Bosshard Galleries opening with a reputation already established, after a move from Akaroa, in July 1976. The opening exhibition, drawn from works owned personally by Patricia and Kobi Bosshard, is for them a first meeting with the Dunedin public, a manifesto of taste and standards, and an affirmation of commitment to contemporary New Zealand art. The artists exhibited - they include Philip Trusttum, Ralph Hotere, Milan Mrkusich, Jeffrey Harris, Richard Killeen and Barry Cleavin - display a wide variety of sensibilities and artistic expression, and the individual works are themselves of a quality which can give Dunedin viewers and collectors confidence in the future activities of this gallery. Particular mention should be made of the group of paintings by Trusttum, for he is an artist too little known south of Christchurch, and hitherto inadequately represented in Dunedin collections. The Galleries' premises are admirable for their purpose - two rooms, one very large, one small, well-endowed with natural light through four skylights, situated on the southern fringe of the city's central commercial area.

CHARLTON EDGAR Paintings and Prints

Ruskin once wrote: 'The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way.' Charlton Edgar has certainly done this in his landscapes painted directly from nature. Although it may be felt that he 'belongs to a period', it could be said that he is in the mainstream of the landscape tradition and that his finest works transcend fashion. Charlton Edgar is best known for his Central Otago paintings, and of the works in this exhibition, spanning half a century, an early oil sketch, Lake Hayes, is one of the best. It was painted during the Indian Summer of 1932 soon after the artist arrived in Dunedin under the la Trobe Scheme