Thank You Melvin Day

This exhibition acknowledges the enormous legacy of Melvin (Pat) Day to the art history of Aotearoa New Zealand. His long painting career began at the tender age of 11. He went on to become a prolific painter and alongside his peers, Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon and Barry Bates (better known as Billy Apple) featured in the 1961 landmark exhibition of Commonwealth artists at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. Day went on to become an educator, inaugural Director of the National Art Gallery in 1968 and then concluded his working life as the Governmental Art Historian.

This exhibition celebrates the life and art of Melvin Day and the gifting of a significant body of his work to the Waikato Museum permanent collection.

Education programmes are available for this exhibition.

Image: Still life with fruit and chalice, oil on board, 1955, Melvin and Oroya Day Estate Collection
Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato.