Controversial artist's 'warts and all' view of Australian life.

The Dowse : 25 September - 17 October, 2004

Hard-hitting Australian painter George Morant's vision grew out of his first-hand experience of the less glamorous aspects of Australian life. Having witnessed relationships between white policemen and underage aboriginal girls, teachers using unpaid servants and corrupt political dealings in the Australian underworld, his paintings have brought these realities to public attention. Controversial artist's 'warts and all' view of Australian life.

The Dowse : 25 September - 17 October, 2004

Hard-hitting Australian painter George Morant's vision grew out of his first-hand experience of the less glamorous aspects of Australian life. Having witnessed relationships between white policemen and underage aboriginal girls, teachers using unpaid servants and corrupt political dealings in the Australian underworld, his paintings have brought these realities to public attention.

Often described as 'the painter of the un-official social life of Australia.' Morant's works are heavily influenced by his personal experiences as a young man. He worked for the NSW Railways and then as a tin prospector in Arnhem Land in the 1950s. His vividly coloured, powerful figurative paintings explore the cultural clash between aboriginal people and settlers in Australian history. 23 of his large, colourful paintings are included in George Morant : An Australian Original on exhibition at The Dowse from Saturday 25 September. The works, which span 3 decades of his career, have been loaned to The Dowse by local collectors.

The exhibition, which will be officially opened by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark will only run for 3 weeks. "This is a rare and very limited opportunity to see the works of an extremely interesting and powerful painter", says Dowse Director, Tim Walker.

The project grew from a conversation between Walker and Sir Robert Jones last Christmas. "When I heard about his collection of paintings by George Morant I was keen to see them. Once I had, I knew they would cause real excitement among New Zealand audiences".

"I urge people to make the most of this rare opportunity to see these powerfully, unforgettable paintings. The issues Morant deals with and his style of bold, colourful narrative painting have certain synergies with a number of New Zealand painters".

The friendship between property magnate and socialist artist certainly seems like a case of 'opposites attract'.

Sir Robert first encountered Morant's work at an Australian gallery when he bought several pieces to hang in the foyers of his buildings in Australia and Wellington.

As a result, many other property developers and commercial investors have been introduced to, and enjoyed Morant's work and have now started to seriously collect, significantly raising the artist's profile.