The cover shot on a new biography about Christchurch artist Olivia Spencer Bower shows her holding a cigarette and staring right into the camera lense with a wicket smile.
For almost 60 years she painted primarily landscapes of her adopted country, always keen to experiment with materials and styles, and befriending other artists including Rita Angus and Colin McCahon. Julie King has told Olivia's story in Olivia Spencer Bower: Making Her Own Discoveries, published by Canterbury University Press.
Julie King; author of Olivia Spencer Bower: Making Her Own Discoveries. Photo by Duncan Shaw-Brown.
Olivia Spencer Bower's Self Portrait, 1950
Oil on board, 672 × 520 mm
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, purchased 1954
Olivia Spencer Bower's The School Launch, Rawene, 1948
Pencil and watercolour, 320 × 400 mm
Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, donated by the artist, 1979
Olivia Spencer Bower's The Untidy Verandah, 1937
Watercolour, 390 × 475 mm
Aigantighe Art Gallery Collection, Timaru, given by Mr and Mrs A. N. Hope
Kaikoura Country, c. 1940
Watercolour, 403 × 564 mm
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, purchased 2013
The cover of Olivia Spencer Bower: Making Her Own Discoveries published by Canterbury University Press.
Cover image by Marti Friedlander, Olivia Spencer Bower – The Artist’s Living Room, 1978
Black and white photograph, 506 × 405 mm
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, purchased 1998. Reproduced courtesy of Marti Friedlander
The images in this gallery are used with permission and are subject to copyright conditions.
