17 May 2012

A discerning buyer

14/12/2011 10:30:00 a.m.

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Darcy Nicholas has been known to buy entire exhibitions.

Darcy Nicholas has been known to buy entire exhibitions.

MAORI artist Darcy Nicholas owns an extremely precious mask by Dempsey Bob, a Canadian ‘master of wood carving’ of Tahltan and Tlingit First Nations (North Western Canada and Alaska) descent. Bob came to the Nicholas’ house, took one of his paintings off the wall and asked if he could have it, leaving the valuable mask in return.

It’s a treasured part of an extensive private collection that has taken Nicholas 40 years to build. The collection of indoor and outdoor art contains paintings, sculptures, clay art, and rare books and documents, and many pieces are loaned out to galleries, offices and friends.
Nicholas is well known in New Zealand and overseas as a Maori painter, sculptor, writer, and curator. In 1984 he won a Fulbright Cultural Award to observe African American and Native American art movements and last year was awarded a QSO for services to museums. As he has exhibited all over the world he has met a large number of artists over the years, and has often found unusual pieces to add to his collection.  
“A lot of these pieces have personal memories attached,” say Nicholas, “I’ve got a stone carving from [Zimbabwean artist] Nicholas Mukomberanwa. He was called ‘the genius of Africa’ and it’s the last piece he did before he died.”
In New Zealand, Nicholas supports emerging artists, and has been known to buy entire exhibitions by way of encouragement.
“There are a lot of young artists whose work I enjoy. I put my money where my mouth is.”
With so much art already in his possession, what does Nicholas look for when making a decision as to what to buy next? Personality is important, he says.
“Either the artist or the place represented has to have personality. And it should be painterly, that is, having the skill of a painter who understands colour and composition and the various concepts of perception,” he explains, “I watch an artist’s career for consistency over a period of three to four years, and to see that personality and intellect coming through. Then I ask if there’s any spirit in the art. If there is and the price is right, I’m interested.”
Nicholas displays his art “like wallpaper” all over his house and his office at Pataka Museum, where he works as General Manager of Community Services. He prefers to see it all at once rather than trying to organise it a particular way.
“When you surround yourself with art,” he says, “You surround yourself with creativity and personalities.”
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Cover Story

Best of Wellington 2011

Briefs

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