McDougall Art Gallery (Christchurch)

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This gallery, named after the donor, Robert McDougall, was officially opened in 1932. It is administered and wholly financed by the Christchurch City Council. The Art Gallery Committee is a standing committee of eight city councillors and the Mayor (ex officio), together with two co-opted members representing the Canterbury Society of Arts and the University of Canterbury School of Art. W. S. Baverstock, who has been honorary curator for years, was appointed the first director of the gallery in 1960. The main collections include European art of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, New Zealand oil paintings and watercolours (early and contemporary), a special Canterbury section, graphic art, and miniatures.

When the gallery opened, the Canterbury Society of Arts handed to the city its collection of 118 paintings, several pieces of sculpture, and a set of miniatures. The permanent collection includes a number of other gift collections and bequests. In spite of the absence of a special exhibition gallery, a constant series of loan shows is arranged with accompanying lectures and broadcasts.

Rolleston Avenue
Botanic Gardens Christchurch
New Zealand
Tel: +64 3 941 7970
Fax: +64 3 941 7987