New Zealand Painting

I heard the sad news on Friday afternoon that Gordon Crook (b. 1921) had died in Wellington earlier in the day.

I first met Gordon in Wellington in 1973, a year after he’d arrived in New Zealand from the UK. I’d won a competition set up by the National Bank for High School students from throughout the country (I was at Christchurch Boys’ High) to attend a week-long art workshop. Amongst the twenty or so attending I was one of three from Christchurch. Gordon, along with a number of other Wellington-based tutors, including Kate Coolahan and Brian Carmody, ran the workshops. It was a great opportunity and very memorable. Many years later, in 1997 when I opened Campbell Grant Galleries in Christchurch, I knew Gordon was an artist I wanted to exposure to local audiences.

Undoubtedly a gifted artist, Gordon is noted for his amazing tapestries, fabric banners, paintings, collages and playful, fluid screenprints. However, it was Gordon’s child-like enthusiasm and zest for life which truly engaged anyone who met him – a quality that never left him. His design skills were exceptional. A serious reader and a stunning correspondent, his communications (executed on an old typewriter with bold, coloured felt-pen alterations – words crossed-out and re-written in hand) were lively, deeply felt, always amusing. They were full of insightful observations of the world, his dreams and his aspirations, often with a touch of wisdom about the human condition. Collaged cards were a favourite, using his own photographs and found magazine imagery (many of mine with an erotic edge!). In the later years, visits to his delightful Aro Street home were memorable. My last visit, with my partner Mark, was in early January 2009. As always Gordon ‘presented’ afternoon tea in lovely china cups and, in this instance, we shared a delicious apple cake he’d made. Tea and cake – that famous English tradition – was a special time he enjoyed with close friends. And, if he was in the mood, one got to see a glimpse of his latest works … but not always!

With works in public galleries and private collections throughout the country, and numerable notable commissions (Warren & Mahoney buildings: The Chancery in Washington and the Fowler Centre in Wellington) Gordon’s contribution to the visual arts in this country, and overseas is substantial.

Gordon’s sense of questioning – not only about the world but about himself – was always present. His laughter, energy and wonderful smile remain with me.

Grant Banbury
26 August 2011