Landscape Tony de Lautour, 2002 Acrylic on hessian. Purchased 2002.

The Gallery acquires works by purchase, commission, gift and bequest.

As the public art museum for Christchurch and Canterbury, the Gallery places particular emphasis on the collection of work by significant Canterbury artists, but also acquires works of merit from artists outside the province, and, on occasions, from international practitioners.

City funds were first made available for acquisitions in 1949 but gifts and bequests remain an important source for developing the Gallery’s collection.

For a list of the Gallery's most recent acquisitions please refer to the Gallery's Bulletin magazine. Bulletin can be purchased from the Gallery Shop.

The People's Picture

Witness Caravaggio Kees Bruin, 2004 Acquisition pending

Help us add this painting to the Gallery's collection

Witness Caravaggio by local artist Kees Bruin is one of the most enigmatic works to enter the collection in recent times. The painting will be exhibited until June 2005, during which time the Gallery will be appealing for donations towards its purchase. The Christchurch Art Gallery Trust has generously agreed to underwrite the purchase price until total funds have been secured through donation.

At first glance the subject of this work seems quite straightforward – a young woman passes a large mirror in which is reflected Caravaggio's sixteenth century painting The Taking of Christ and a youthful Kees Bruin, as the photographer. However, its meaning remains quite enigmatic, and open to a variety of interpretations.

This work is painted in a Photo-realist style. The image is sharply focused, like a photograph, and a meticulously painted surface evokes the technique of seventeenth century Dutch genre artists. Bruin uses real and implied scenarios from the past and present, combining memory and studies from life, deliberately chosen to support his theme.  These various elements combine to further the mystery of the work.

Called "the People's Picture" because it represents the generosity of visitors to the Gallery, this important work will be a wonderful new addition to the Gallery's collection of New Zealand art.

Donations to "the people's picture" can be made in person at the gallery or by telephoning the Development Coordinator on (03) 941 7368