New Zealand's most valuable art exhibition
06 May 2008
The most valuable collection of paintings to ever visit New Zealand will be on display at Wellington’s Te Papa Museum in 2009.
‘Monet and the Impressionists’ will be exhibited from February 14 till May 14, providing a rare chance to see paintings by French impressionist Claude Monet, including works from his Water Lilies and Haystacks series, and Meadow with Poplars.
About 30 Monets will be displayed in Te Papa's Tower Gallery, alongside masterpieces by Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Sisley and Cezanne.
The collection, which is estimated to be worth $1 billion, will be indemnified by the New Zealand and Australian governments, meaning they will act as guarantors in the case of loss or damage.
Te Papa chief executive Seddon Bennington said he was thrilled ‘Monet and the Impressionists’ was coming to the museum after two years of negotiations with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which holds the paintings in its collection.
''It's the most significant collection of works by Monet that will ever have come to New Zealand or Australia. It's certainly the most valuable exhibition that has come to New Zealand ever.''
The Monet exhibition held at the Auckland City Art Gallery in 1985 attracted more than 175,000 visitors in six weeks and grossed more than $1 million from door sales, catalogues and merchandise.
In what Dr Bennington called a major coup, Te Papa is the only New Zealand venue for the Monet exhibition, but it will also tour Australia and Japan.
Te Papa, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in February, plans some significant art displays this year, including ‘Rita Angus: Life and Vision’, opening on July 5, and ‘E Tu Ake: Standing Strong’, a showcase of contemporary Maori artwork, from November 8.
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