The appointment of Eric Westbrook (Figure 4.9) as the Gallery’s first director in 195213 ensured that it became “an active cultural centre rather than a passive
repository of valuable and improving works of art” (Johnston, 2001: 8).14 By his own
admission Westbrook was “a gallery man”, someone “concerned to interpret ready- made works of art in the manner which he believe[d] the original creator wanted then to be performed” (Westbrook, 1962: 1). Before taking up the role as the Gallery’s director, Westbrook had trained as an artist at the Battersea, Clapham and Westminster schools of art and was Director of the Wakefield City Gallery (1946-49). In that position he curated the first retrospective exhibition of Henry Moore, before joining The British Council as an exhibitions officer working to develop exhibitions throughout Europe (Gamble and Shaw, 1988; Johnston, 2001; McCulloch, 1994). Sir Kenneth Clark, his mentor, was horrified when his protégé accepted the job in Auckland: “You are making the worst mistake of your life”, he wrote; adding, “I wouldn’t mind so much if you were going to Australia” (Jones, SMH: 2005).
Reflecting on his experiences Westbrook recalled that the Gallery was:
… very run-down … largely because no one had paid much attention to it for a long time; it had potentialities but was in a rather a sad state … I spent four
and a half15 very happy, terribly busy but wonderfully stimulating and
valuable years. We did everything. We tore the inside out of the old building, we rebuilt the place; we carried out all sorts of experiments in exhibitions, in lecturing, in broadcasting;16 we tried experiments in extending the range of the
Policies. Practices. Public Pedagogy.
gallery to cover the other arts; we had poetry readings, concerts17 and summer
schools. In fact it was an enormously exciting time, very exhausting but very exciting. (Westbrook, 1962: 6).
Westbrook lost no time in pronouncing on New Zealand art and the importance of establishing a New Zealand ‘school’ (Brown, 1999: 53-59; Pound, 2010: 75-76). His early comments, made within a few months of arrival in Auckland and published by the New Zealand Herald, reveal a disdain for the derivative English landscapes he encountered (Brown 1999: 53-56). Within a year he had formulated a generalising theory to explain not only the development of an indigenous New Zealand art but one that was germane to all former colonies (Pound, 2010). New Zealand, Westbrook said, was on the cusp of “producing great works of art” (The Auckland Star 28 May 1953 quoted in Brown, 1999: 59). His insights were informed by considerable travel throughout New Zealand and by his colleague and Gallery staff member Colin McCahon who had introduced him to the works of artists such as Rita Angus.
McCahon, who was to become New Zealand’s leading modernist artist, came from Christchurch to join the Gallery staff in 1953. This association with the Gallery continued until 1965 and saw him appointed as a cleaner, then Keeper and finally Assistant Director while he continued to paint. McCahon’s role within the Gallery as Keeper (curator) was pivotal in establishing the modernist canon. To do that, Westbrook and McCahon developed a range of exhibitions including the first monographic shows of New Zealand artists18 while continuing to reveal deficiencies
in the permanent collection. However, it was left to Westbrook’s successor, Peter Tomory, to make good the collection’s shortcomings.
In March 1954 the Gallery’s first education officer was appointed. Michael Feather, employed by the Education Department’s arts and crafts section,
arranged school visits, art classes and displays for loan to schools (AGMANZ
News, 1954: 11; Wilson, 1983: 5; Brown, 1999: 44). This appointment was the first of its type for art museums in New Zealand. It was short-lived: Feather’s appointment ceased in 1956 when the Department of Education withdrew funding (Gamble and Shaw, 1988: 42; Brown, 1999: 44).19 Nevertheless, it remains
remarkable. It occurred against the backdrop of prolonged agitation and debate
Figure 4.9 Portrait of Eric Westbrook, Colin Firth. March 1953
Source: Sir George Grey Special Collections. Auckland Libraries
34-W505
Reproduced with permission
Policies. Practices. Public Pedagogy.
from 1952 between museums, schools education officers, AGMANZ, and the Minister of Education about the salaries, status and expertise of museum education officers (See AAG-Box 7, 1952-1957). The debate which was resolved only in relation to salaries late in 1959 left open the issues of status and expertise.20 (See also Chapter
Three).
The emphasis on wider public involvement grew with the establishment of the Gallery Associates a formally constituted group of supporters. As well, the Gallery displayed children’s art (Brown 1999)21 and Westbrook exploited such exhibitions to
present a lecture series with Gordon Tovey, the much-admired educationalist (Brown, 1999). McCahon introduced evening art classes, the popular Adult Education summer school and later, theatre at the Gallery.
Westbrook whose conditions of appointment stipulated a minimum term of three
years,22 announced his resignation after 3½ years, moving to Australia to the
Directorship of the National Gallery of Victoria (1956-75) where he oversaw the Gallery’s modernisation and move to the St. Kilda Road site (Westbrook, 1969), before taking up an appointment as the inaugural director of the Victorian Ministry for the Arts (McCulloch, 1994).