A commanding late work by one of New Zealand’s most important artists, Orange, distills Ralph Hotere’s lifelong commitment to place, material and protest. Two monumental panels of corrugated iron, a material deeply rooted in the New Zealand landscape, form both the surface and structure of the work. The dark, lacquered exterior is cut back to reveal flashes of rich orange on the verso, the colour pushing through the negative cross form with quiet intensity.

By the 2000s, Hotere had largely abandoned canvas in favour of industrial materials, creating works that blurred painting, sculpture and object. Orange sits squarely within this late period: austere, physical and unmistakably of the land. Works from this late period are increasingly scarce and highly sought after, particularly those tied to the environments and causes that defined the final decades of Hotere’s practice.

Private Collection
Art+Object, Important Paintings & Contemporary Art, Auckland, 29/11/2018, Lot No. 61
Dr Francis Pound and Sue Crockford Collection