Trevor Moffitt (1936 - 2006) is arguably one of the country’s most notable narrative painters. Born in Gore, Moffitt graduated from the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts in 1959. Unlike many of his contemporaries whose work pursued a nationalism based on the landscape, Moffitt’s interests resided in locating the human figure in the land and in 1962 he began the Gold Miners series, based on childhood memories of Southland. Over the next 40 years, Moffitt would go on to produce some nationally significant bodies of work, immediately recognisable expressionist paintings that reveal the lives and stories of ordinary working New Zealanders. The Big Fisherman, Human Condition, Freezing Works and Stanley Graham series’ would be interspersed with periodic reflections on rural Canterbury and Southland, and more personal journeys through My Father’s Life and Solo Father series’. 

 

In 2015 the Gallery was fortunate to be gifted a collection of 33 paintings by Trevor Moffitt. Built up over a number of years, by art collector Enyth Good of Auckland, the works provide a valuable overview of his career. Many of the works reference the artist’s home province of Southland and many are representative of the wide range of series’ works he produced, including the Mackenzie, Gold Miner, Big Fisherman, My Father’s Life and Hokonui Moonshine series. This exhibition showcases that very generous gift.