Rita Angus (b.1908, Hastings – d.1970, Wellington) was a pioneer of modern painting and remains one of the most loved and highly respected painters in Aotearoa New Zealand.
A committed feminist and pacifist, Angus’ practice was deeply enmeshed in her views and understanding of the world. She aspired ‘to show to the present a peaceful way, and through devotion to visual art to sow some seeds for possible maturity in later generations […] As a woman painter, I work to represent love of humanity and faith in mankind in a world, which to me, is richly variable and infinitely beautiful’ (1947).
Angus attended Girl’s High School in Palmerston North where her obvious talent in drawing and painting resulted in parental approval to begin studies at Canterbury University College School of Art in Christchurch in 1927. First exhibiting at Canterbury School of Art Sketch Club and Canterbury Society of Arts in 1930, it was during this period that her bold, meticulous style became fully realised. The years from 1926 to 1954 are predominantly associated with and lived in Christchurch interrupted by periods in Hastings, Waikanae, Auckland, Mangōnui, and Napier. In 1955 she settled in Wellington buying a property with parental help at 194A Sydney Street West, Thorndon now known as the Rita Angus Cottage. Awarded a New Zealand Art Societies’ Fellowship in 1958 Angus travelled to England and Europe for a year stimulated by the direct contact with the art viewed and studied in such centres as London, Paris and Florence.
Over the course of her life, Angus produced a remarkable body of work, and the clarity and intensity of her landscape paintings established a unique image of 20th-century Aotearoa. Portraiture and particularly self-portraiture was something of a lifeline for the artist. In her self-portraits Angus often masqueraded in various guises – warrior, queen, femme fatale – and when viewed collectively these images offer a glimpse into Angus’ physical and spiritual life, a visual journal of the artist’s inner and outer worlds.
Angus’ work features in major public and private collections both nationally and internationally. Several significant survey shows have been held of her work, including the most recent touring exhibition Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist.