Victoria's Art - A University Collection

Adam Art Gallery, Wellington 2005. Softback good condition

In 1942 the newly established Staff Common Room at Victoria University College needed something to hang on its walls. Responsibility for hiring suitable works of art was delegated to the eminent historian Professor J.C. Beaglehole. Five years later Beaglehole convinced his colleagues to pay a small annual levy for the purchase of 'original New Zealand pictures'. From these humble beginnings, Victoria University of Wellington's art collection today comprises over 260 works by many of New Zealand's leading artists including Frances Hodgkins, Colin McCahon, Evelyn Page, Gordon Walters, Robin White, Ralph Hotere, Fred Graham and Fiona Pardington. Edited and introduced by William McAloon with commentaries by prominent scholars and art writers, Victoria's Art - A University Collection charts the history of this remarkable collection and showcases many of its highlights.