Colin McCahon is one of Aotearoa's most significant artists. He helped pioneer modern art in New Zealand and shaped how we see Aotearoa. You can ensure his exceptional work is preserved and accessible, both here and around the world.
The Colin McCahon Legacy Project has been initiated by the Colin McCahon Trust with experts from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and the McCahon Family. It is endorsed by former prime ministers, internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, and communities across New Zealand.
Every artwork and every detail, accessible to everyone. That’s the goal of the project.
The current Colin McCahon website, which has been in place since the mid 1990s, is unstable and close to collapse. The first step of the project is to ensure the investment in creating this remarkable database is preserved and placed back on a stable and sustainable platform so that it can be further built upon.
The new interactive digital archive will offer increased accessibility and functionality, creating innovative ways to engage with McCahon’s exceptional life and work.
Colin McCahon,The Angel of Annunciation, 1947. Purchased 1980 with Special Projects in the Arts funds. Te Papa (1980-0008-3). CM001039. Reproduction courtesy of the Colin McCahon Trust.
Together, we are creating:
High resolution images to allow users to explore McCahon’s artworks in detail.
A state-of-the-art digital archive to catalogue and present McCahon’s body of work in its entirety, to engage a wider online audience.
A series of newly commissioned and reproduced essays that will provide diverse perspectives on McCahon’s work and legacy.
Expanded research and content to provide users with innovative ways to discover McCahon’s works and his practice.
Intuitive navigation and elegant design to dramatically improve user’s experience and captivate both seasoned researchers and newcomers alike.
An illustrated bibliography to provide context to McCahon’s life and work.
A forum in which to showcase McCahon’s masterpieces, honouring his status as one of Aotearoa’s foremost artists.
Watch a short preview video about the Legacy Project.
Read about Colin McCahon’s significance, by Lizzie Bisley (Curator Modern Art, Te Papa/The Colin McCahon Trust Research Committee).
See the new website as it is being created. Work is already underway to build an innovative, new archive to catalogue McCahon’s extensive artworks and detail his life and influence. We have captured some shots of what the new digital platform will look like.
Left to right: Colin McCahon, Six days in Nelson and Canterbury, 1950. Gift of Colin McCahon through the Friends of the Auckland Art Gallery. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (1978/12). CM000001. Reproduction courtesy of the Colin McCahon Trust.
Documentation of the installation of Colin McCahon’s Gate III at Auckland City Art Gallery for ‘Ten Big Paintings’, 1971, exhibition file 42, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.