Fred Graham - Arts Icon

Sculptor Fred Graham (Ngati Koroki Kahukura, Tainui), aged 89, has gained another prestigious prize, being named this week as a recipient of an Arts Foundation Icon Award. Many of his works can be found around Auckland - on the wall outside Auckland Art Gallery, in the courtyard of the High Court, in the Auckland Domain, the botanic gardens, Mission Bay, and where Shortland St meets Queen St. His sculptures are held in major art galleries in Aotearoa and in international collections. Graham, a former Maori All Black, belonged to a group of artists including Ralph Hotere and Cliff Whiting who, from the late 1950s, developed a new form of modern Maori art. Graham was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Years Honours List 2018 for his services to Maori art, and won Te Tohu mo Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu Exemplary/Supreme Award in last year's Te Waka Toi Awards. He is still working in his studio in Waipu where he lives with his wife of 60 years, Norma.