Kelliher Art Competition History

The first competition was held at a time (1956) when artists were finding it difficult to present their work before the public and carried a prize of £500, an exciting prospect for the New Zealand art scene.

Over succeeding years, second and third prizes were added; special and merit awards were made available. When the Kelliher Art Trust took over administration of the competition in 1965, the total value of prizes was £1100. The five awards made in 1977 were of $750 each. Apart from the "specific stimulus" of monetary prizes, the eager response of the public - thousands of people visited each exhibition - meant that the artists whose paintings were chosen for display, had an excellent opportunity to sell their work. From a modest sale of 12 paintings in 1956, this aspect of the Kelliher became increasingly important. In the 1960s, sales of 40 or 50 works were recorded at each exhibition.

Intangible rewards were perhaps the most important benefits gained by New Zealand's painters. Of those award-winners who entered the competition as amateurs, "dabbling in oils" for a hobby, most have become professional artists. Some of these have earned international reputations.

A common belief was that the Kelliher offered a "challenge" to painters to compare their talent and the winning of an award provided "great encouragement" in an artists career. Many of the "also rans" continued to submit work in later years, suggesting they too responded to the challenge, learning much from having their work subjected to the same critical evaluation accorded to a McIntyre, Badcock or Wheeler.

The Kelliher has not been welcomed unanimously. It was claimed that the conditions of entry were too restrictive: that "traditional" art was being fostered at the expense of modern developments. But other competitions have been established in the intervening years and a number of private galleries have opened to cater for the various schools of painting. Criticism of the Kelliher has mellowed and the competition can be seen clearly for what it is - one man's vision to reward creativity and skill expressed within the broad and reasonable boundaries of "a figurative interpretation of characteristic New Zealand subjects".

Certainly the public of this country has appreciated the opportunity to examine the hundreds of landscapes and coastal scenes, portraits and figure studies rendered in a diversity of styles and with varying competence. The 1976 exhibition attracted more than 10,000 people to the Hastings City Cultural Centre - an extraordinary response from a provincial centre with a population of 35,000.

In spirit, the basic object of the Kelliher Art competition has remained unchanged: "To encourage artists to paint the essential character of the New Zealand scene and the ways of life of its people, and thereby to develop a livelier appreciation of the fine arts and of the infinitely varied aspects of our land". In response to suggestions made by visiting judges and local artists, the conditions have changed from time to time. The first competition asked for "realistic and traditional" paintings of the "visible aspects of the landscape". Later entry forms included panoramic views of cities and towns, life and movement, agricultural and pastoral scenes, the activities of people…" as possible subjects.

Click on the links to view a brief history of the competition, including details of those paintings awarded first, second and third prizes over a period of 22 years.