Exhibitions and events

Regular tours at the Hocken

Behind the scenes tours

Every Thursday at 11am (tours are 50 minutes)

Join one of our friendly guides and learn about the Hocken. Check out the amazing materials in our archives, ephemera, maps, music/AV, photographs, pictures and published collections. Bookings not required. Limit of 10 people per tour. Tour starts at Hocken reception.

Current exhibitions

Rita Angus He Ringatoi Hou O Aotearoa | Rita Angus New Zealand Modernist

Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa brings together selected works by one of New Zealand’s most iconic 20th century artists, Rita Angus (1908–1970). Exhibition open Saturday 12 October – Saturday 7 December 2024.

This iteration of the exhibition presents selected works from Te Papa alongside paintings from the Hocken Library, Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Eastern Southland Gallery. The paintings span Angus’s life and career as an artist, drawing out the themes of pacifism, feminism and nature that shaped so much of her work.

This exhibition includes many of Angus’s most important works, including Rutu, 1951, Cleopatra, 1938, and Central Otago, 1953 56/1969. It will also feature two significant recent acquisitions by Te Papa. Marjorie Marshall (1938-39/1943) is a remarkable portrait of Angus’s friend and fellow artist Marshall, set against the backdrop of Central Otago mountains. The Aviatrix (1933) is one of Angus’s most important early works – a striking portrait of her sister Edna, the first woman pilot in the East Coast Aero Club, wearing her flying costume.

Developed and toured by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Upcoming events

Exhibition events for Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist | He Ringatoi Hou o Aotearoa to be updated soon.

'Light and Reflections: The house and the art in our lives' | Helen Beaglehorn

A slide talk by Wellington-based writer and editor Helen Beaglehole about her latest book 'Light and Reflections: The house and the art in our lives', with photography by Matthew O'Reilly.  Helen will discuss the origins and key ideas reflected in this publication.  Saturday 19 October at 2pm, Hocken seminar room.

Interior view of the Beaglehole’s family home showing works by Killeen, Walters and others. Photo by Matthew O’Reilly.

Rita Angus, Central Otago, 1953-56/1969, oil on canvas. Gift of Douglas Lilburn, 1972. © Reproduced courtesy of the Estate of Rita Angus. Te Papa(1972-0030-1)

Rita Angus, Cleopatra, 1938, oil on canvas. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. © Reproduced courtesy of the Estate of Rita Angus. Te Papa (1998-0028-2)