February 04, 2015
Lindauer paintings a hit in Germany
A collection of historical Maori portraits by the late 19th-century painter Gottfried Lindauer is drawing in the crowds at its first European showing at the Old National Gallery in Berlin.
The 48 paintings and associated photographs are from the collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Curator Britta Schmitz says almost 65,000 people have seen the show since mid-November, which could be a record.
She says German visitors are not only interested in Lindauer’s artworks, but in Maori history, arts and culture and are especially intrigued to learn more about the relevance of the paintings for Maori today.
The paintings will also be shown at Lindauer’s home town of Pilsen in the Czech Republic, which is the European Capital of Culture 2015.
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