Provenance:

Ex. Sir Percy Sargood Collection, Private Collection, Otago

Exhibited:

National Centennial Exhibition of New Zealand Art 1840 - 1940 - Dunedin Public Art Gallery 1940

Inscription verso reads: Sir Percy Sargood. National Centennial Exhibition of New Zealand Art 1840 - 1940 held at Dunedin Public Art Gallery

Like many successful painters of this era, Raymond McIntyre's life abroad enabled him to engage with contemporary European trends inaccessible from New Zealand. Having moved to London in 1909, thirty one year old McIntyre was a well established figure in the local art scene in the early 20th century. Here he enjoyed a successful relationship with the Goupil Gallery, London's leading international contemporary gallery of the time. He exhibited with the New English Art Club and had work accepted into the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts. A private person, he did not exhibit between 1926 and his death in 1933, the reasons for which are not fully clear. Entrance to the Park is one of a series of London street scenes painted between 1911 and 1926 and depicts a gathering of walkers at the gated entrance of a garden. Short, thick strokes of paint capture the essence of his subject rather than its details, showing influences of impressionism while the vibrant colours reflect Mclnytre's ongoing interest in Fauvism. Painted from a high view point, typical for Mclntyre, it is an eloquent work that displays a quiet confidence. Entrance to the Park relates strongly to a watercolour Park Entrance c.1920 illustrated p. 64 Raymond Mclntyre: A New Zealand Painter, 1984, Heineman.