A new exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view the work of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most adventurous and experimental modernist artists.

Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist is open at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū until 30 August, bringing together more than 60 works by painter Edith Collier (1885–1964).

Born and raised in Whanganui, Collier’s style changed profoundly when she travelled to England in 1913 and spent nine years in London surrounded by other artists including Margaret Macpherson (later Preston) and Frances Hodgkins.

Immersed in post-impressionist ideas Collier developed a bold and experimental approach marked by vigorous drawing, fluent brushwork and a distinctive sense of colour.

Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery Curator Jennifer Taylor says Edith Collier is remarkable because in contrast to her modest and retiring nature, she so readily embraced the revolutionary aspects of modernism.

“Today we are so used to seeing these features, such as flattening the perspective and breaking up the picture plane into bold areas of colour, but in her time these were completely new ways of seeing. She was producing these works at least a decade before the first ‘recognised’ NZ modernists.

“Due to her reluctance to part with her own works most of them have remained with family members or with the Edith Collier Trust at the Sarjeant Gallery.

"Because her works weren’t distributed and accessible in other public collections, her contribution to NZ art history was not recognised until more recently. Now her work is being increasingly recognised both in New Zealand and Australia,” says Ms Taylor.

Christchurch Art Gallery Curator Peter Vangioni says he is delighted the exhibition is coming to Ōtautahi Christchurch.

“We’re excited to bring this beautifully curated exhibition to our audiences. It’s a fantastic and rare opportunity to engage closely with Collier’s work,” says Mr Vangioni.

“The exhibition includes studies, sketches, watercolours, prints and archival material, alongside rarely exhibited key paintings from the Edith Collier Trust, not often seen in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

“The last time Christchurch audiences had a chance to see Edith Collier’s work in depth was in 1981. Don’t miss the chance to encounter these works for yourself,” says Vangioni.

Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist was developed and toured by Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, with the generous support of the Edith Collier Trust. The exhibition is open until 30 August.

A companion book also titled Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist will also be available at the Gallery’s store.

Edith Collier Boy Against Landscape 1914–15. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Edith Collier Trust, in the permanent care of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery.

Edith Collier Girl in the Sunshine 1915. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Edith Collier Trust, in the permanent care of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery.