“In the past 50 years, Philippa Blair has been described as a traveller and a restless spirit, fluent in translating the tumultuous world around her into vibrant observations that are boldly autobiographical but also hum with the familiar rhythms of life.” Chloe Geoghegan, curator, Te Uru Contemporary Gallery, Waitakere. (In 2020, Philippa was the subject of a major survey exhibition, “Down Under Cover” at Te Uru Contemporary Gallery).
Blair was born in Christchurch in 1945. She died in Auckland, in January 2025. A teacher to many, she exhibited regularly for most of her long and distinguished career, from early shows throughout New Zealand in the 1970s, to International solo exhibitions during the 1980s, and significant museum exhibitions and teaching positions in the 1990s. With a career spanning over 50 years, she had more than 100 solo and 300 group exhibitions to her credit.
A testament to her significance as a major artist, Blair’s work is held in over 50 public and significant private collections in places such as New Zealand, Australia, USA, Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Asia (including the private collection of the late musician David Bowie, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Australian National Gallery and the Long Beach Museum of Art in California).
Celebrating her colourful life and personality, Vibrant Observations presents a selection of oils on canvas, small gouache works, and vellum & ink drawings, produced during the late 1990’s and early 2000s, in the Angelus Place studio, (Venice, CA) that Blair and husband, architect and painter, John Porter (1941-2018) made and shared. Created at what was a particularly happy and productive time in her life, these energetic and colourful works capture the rhythm and excitement of her new fast-paced life in the USA.
Also on show are a small number of Blair’s large, historic works (books and cloaks) on unstretched canvas, created prior to her move to California.