The Golden Age: 20th Century Wood Engravings

The Golden Age brings together examples of this remarkably delicate medium by major British artists alongside their New Zealand contemporaries. The exhibition is divided into four themes that captivated wood engraving artists: Storytellers, All Creatures Great and Small, Country Life, and People at Work and Leisure.

Wood engraving experienced an extraordinary revival in Great Britain during the early twentieth century, a golden age that coincided with the private press printing movement. Having fallen from favour during the nineteenth century, when it was employed as a means of mass reproduction of images, wood engraving was reclaimed as an art form by contemporary artists after World War I. Full of zest, these artworks are exquisite gems that reflect the skill and finesse of the artists who made them.

All artworks are on loan from the collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu.