The John Perry Collection of mid 20th Century New Zealand Landscape Paintings Lots 1 - 25

I began collecting contemporary New Zealand art while still a student at Elam School of Art in the early 1960s. During that decade I purchased significant works by Colin McCahon [1962, 1965], Toss Woollaston [1965], Gordon Walters [1966] and Rita Angus [1969].

Although the foundation stones of my original collections have long been scattered, they have been replaced by a number of key works of equal power and intensity over the last forty years. These works have been painted largely by artists who through no fault of their own, have been somewhat overlooked, tending to fall through the cracks and fissures of our recently constructed art histories.

Central to my collecting mid 20th century landscapes, has been a quest for works that reflect character, essence and spirit of a specific place at a particular time. In my collecting of New Zealand paintings I have endeavoured to avoid the stereotypical views of 'our place' so often promoted by old fashioned Government departments that we tend to associate with ''biscuit tin'' and ''chocolate box'' artworks.

John Perry January 2015