PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Auckland

EXHIBITED

Hotere: Requiem Paintings, Barry Lett Galleries, 1974

The Kyrie, whose name comes from the ancient Greek Κύριε ἐλέησον / Kyrie eléēson; in Modern Greek: Κύριε ελέησον / Kýrie eléison, is a liturgical prayer of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. In the liturgy of the Roman Church, it is one of the most important liturgical prayers.

The phrase Kyrie eleison means Lord, Have Mercy - official Catholic translation since Vatican II) or Lord, Have Mercy - Orthodox translation stopped in French by Russian and Greek liturgists at the beginning of the 20th century. Ralph Hotere lived and worked in Port Chalmers for more than 40 years. Acknowledged as one of New Zealand's most significant artists, Hotere was made A Member of the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest honour in 2012.