'Books are a Finer World Within the World' Art galleries and museums

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 5 (Supplement)

'Books are a Finer World Within the World' Art galleries and museums

"Art Galleries and Museums in New Zealand,” by Keith W. Thomson, brings together in book form for the first time all the major public art galleries and museums in New Zealand. Their number, range and diversity are enormous — from the large, richly-en-dowed metropolitan art galleries to the small district museum collections inspired by the energies of a handful of enthusiasts: they range through museums of transport and technology to natural history. Many are unique, their size and emphasis reflecting the needs of the community they serve or the particular character of the region ,in which they are located. What they share, however, is a commitment to the preservation and display of the rich material evidence of New Zealand’s cultural heritage. The text is divided into

four parts: a general introduction to ' New Zealand's galleries and museums; descriptions of the nature and collections of most of the major institutions in the country, including properties administered by the Historic Places Trust; a detailed directory of all public and private collections and appendices on institutions of special interest. Illustrated with more than 160 photographs, many of them in full colour, the book provides a fascinating and wide-ranging coverage. “When an international art exhibition was seen to attract more public attention than an international rugby test. New Zealanders were forced to take note.” Professor Thomson said. “Gone was the image of an art gallery as a haven of elitist appreciation, where old paintings in gilt frames

gathered dust; gone, too, was the notion of the museum as a 'dead zoo,' where unwanted objects and musty specimens sat dumbly in glass cases while tight-lipped visitors filed silently past. “Today, our art galleries and museums have a vital role to play in both reflecting and shaping New Zealand's cultural identity,” he said. Professor Thomson is Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Massey University. Born and educated in Palmerston North, he studied at Canterbury University and the University of Washington. He is a councillor and past president of the Art Galleries and Museums Association of New Zealand, a member of the Council of the Commonwealth Association of Museums, and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum and National Art Gallery.