News | Art

Art Narratives Tour: A Focus on Robin White

Celebrate New Zealand’s world of art on this guided tour of Toi Art at Te Papa.

Read more |June 10, 2022

Takeover Night: Short Talks

Join one of our short talks in Signs of the Nations, Level 4. No bookings required.

Read more |June 30, 2021

Takeover Night: Tours

Get a sneak peek into some of Te Papa’s collections store and view tāonga up close. Limited numbers and a booking is required.

Read more |June 29, 2021

Exclusive: Pacific Acquisitions Podcast

This podcast has been specially produced for the Friends of Te Papa and features Rachel Yates Curator Pacific Cultures, who talks about her work in the Pacific collection and the acquisition of three pieces of hiapo (Niue tapa) earlier this year.

Read more |May 5, 2020

Exclusive: Mervyn Taylor and the Mid-Century Easy Chair

Furniture can reveal personal stories that unfold through acquisition history. A particular pair of modernist chairs originally owned by artist E. Mervyn Taylor and his family tell a fascinating story.

Read more |April 28, 2020

An afternoon with Frances Hodgkins

In connection with the exhibition Frances Hodgkins, from Dunedin to Waikanae, Mahara Gallery are offering a special study day on Sunday 19 May, from 1 pm – 5 pm at the Waikanae Community Centre, Utauta Street, Waikanae.

Read more |May 6, 2019

British Watercolours: The Smythe Gift Collection

In my research, I am interested in Smythe’s motivations behind the gift, how the watercolours were received and treated in New Zealand since their arrival, as well as the contents of the collection itself. Looking at the time when a collection was formed, and how artworks ended up here, can reveal different cultural trends and shifting tastes of New Zealand art institutions, which makes even artworks such as these relevant again.

Read more |February 4, 2019

Terracotta warriors and stained-glass saints

After reading so much about the famous terracotta warriors, I am eagerly looking forward to seeing some of them with my own eyes. Eight of these life-size guardians, from the thousands at the tomb of the emperor Qin Shi Huang, will visit Te Papa in December – along with exquisite pieces of gold, jade and […]

Read more |October 26, 2018

Parliament Tours, Talk and Heritage Lunch

Get a bite of history and join in for a Heritage Lunch at Bellamys by Logan Brown.

Read more |October 10, 2018

Encounters with portraits

Encounters is not a direct translation as the Māori title carries meanings of multiple perspectives. Portraits inevitably involve an encounter: between the sitter, the artist and the viewer. The archived labels from previous exhibitions in Te Papa illustrate how our perceptions and understandings of these encounters have changed over time.

Read more |September 10, 2018