The portrait room, Nga tai whakarongorua | Encounters, has been at the heart of Te Papa’s Toi Art galleries since their opening in 2018. We’ll be saying goodbye to these much-loved faces very soon. Join Dr Rebecca Rice, Curator Historical New Zealand Art, before the gallery closes, to hear about the ideas underpinning the exhibition, her favourite portraits, as well as some of the most memorable encounters with visitors over the years.
Rebecca Rice, Te Papa Curator of Historical New Zealand Art, is an art historian who specialises in the field of colonial New Zealand art, with a particular interest in the histories of collecting, exhibition, and display. Her current research focuses on the visual culture of the New Zealand Wars, and the impact of impressionism on New Zealand artists at home and abroad.