Landmark Don Binney Exhibition Coming To Gow Langsford Onehunga
Widely recognised as one of the leading painters of the 1960s, Binney is most well-known for his stylised depictions of native birds, poised against the country's curving hills and windswept coastal landscapes. In his early works, these birds hovered in abstracted indeterminate space; over time these landscapes became more specific, with recurring appearances of the dramatic west coast beaches of Auckland – particularly Te Henga (Bethell's Beach), a place of deep personal and artistic significance for Binney.
This exhibition, which features paintings from 1962 through to 2010, offers a rare opportunity to witness the evolution of Binney's practice. From intimate Otago scenes to commanding canvases of soaring Kawaupaku, the works highlight his enduring connection to place, scale and form. Executed in both oil and acrylic, the paintings reflect Binney's lifelong engagement with the natural world – an engagement he once described as a 'celebration' of the sky, the sea, and the land.
Binney's work is held in all major public collections within New Zealand including Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, and Pataka Museum of Art and Culture. Binney was awarded the OBE in 1995 and has been the subject of major exhibitions over the years, including the retrospective Binney: 40 Years On, which toured New Zealand from 2003 to 2005.
Don Binney offers a rare chance to view works held in private collections, many of which have not been publicly exhibited in years. Gow Langsford Gallery wishes to acknowledge all lenders for their generosity in making this exhibition possible.
Exhibition Details:
Don Binney
23 August – 20 September 2025
Opening Event: Saturday 23 August from 2-4pm
Gow Langsford Onehunga
4 Princes Street, Onehunga, Auckland 1061, NZ
Gallery Hours:
Thursday-Friday 10-5pm
Saturday 10-4pm
Monday-Wednesday by appointment only.
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Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Landmark Don Binney Exhibition Coming To Gow Langsford Onehunga
Gow Langsford Gallery is delighted to be presenting a landmark solo exhibition celebrating one of Aotearoa's most distinctive and sought-after painters, Don Binney. Spanning five decades of his remarkable practice, the exhibition honours a career deeply rooted in New Zealand's landscapes and the birds that soar over them. Widely recognised as one of the leading painters of the 1960s, Binney is most well-known for his stylised depictions of native birds, poised against the country's curving hills and windswept coastal landscapes. In his early works, these birds hovered in abstracted indeterminate space; over time these landscapes became more specific, with recurring appearances of the dramatic west coast beaches of Auckland – particularly Te Henga (Bethell's Beach), a place of deep personal and artistic significance for Binney. This exhibition, which features paintings from 1962 through to 2010, offers a rare opportunity to witness the evolution of Binney's practice. From intimate Otago scenes to commanding canvases of soaring Kawaupaku, the works highlight his enduring connection to place, scale and form. Executed in both oil and acrylic, the paintings reflect Binney's lifelong engagement with the natural world – an engagement he once described as a 'celebration' of the sky, the sea, and the land. Binney's work is held in all major public collections within New Zealand including Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, and Pataka Museum of Art and Culture. Binney was awarded the OBE in 1995 and has been the subject of major exhibitions over the years, including the retrospective Binney: 40 Years On, which toured New Zealand from 2003 to 2005. Don Binney offers a rare chance to view works held in private collections, many of which have not been publicly exhibited in years. Gow Langsford Gallery wishes to acknowledge all lenders for their generosity in making this exhibition possible. Exhibition Details: Don Binney 23 August – 20 September 2025 Opening Event: Saturday 23 August from 2-4pm Gow Langsford Onehunga 4 Princes Street, Onehunga, Auckland 1061, NZ Gallery Hours: Thursday-Friday 10-5pm Saturday 10-4pm Monday-Wednesday by appointment only.
Scoop
23-07-2025
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Significant Art Sale Next Week
Press Release – International Art Centre A highly sought after art work by one of the country's most acclaimed painters of New Zealand bird life, is predicted to bring up to $750,000 when it is offered for sale for the first time in many years in Auckland next week. Don Binney, who died in 2012 aged 72, was an avid bird lover and his oil painting, Fatbird II, will be offered at an auction of Important and Rare Art at the International Art Centre in Parnell, Auckland, next week (subs: Tuesday, July 29). The sale also features numerous other works by renowned artists including New Zealand's Charles Frederick Goldie, Frances Hodgkins, Peter Siddell, and the world-acclaimed British street artist known only as Banksy. The signed and dated oil painting, Fatbird II was painted by Binney in 1964 and features a New Zealand native wood pigeon (kereru) swooping over two New Zealand tom tits, affectionately known at the time as fatbirds. International Art Centre director Richard Thomson, who will conduct the sale, said the Binney work had not been offered for sale for many years. He said Binney was known as a great innovator in the art world and Fatbird II, is considered to be an exemplary work from the greatest period of his art. He said like numerous Binney bird life paintings, in Fatbird II he has brought together stylised birds of two different species. The sale also included three works by Goldie, one of which has been described as an exceptional portrait of a 90-year-old kaumatua (respected Maori elder) and another of a respected 102-year-old Maori woman, said to be an exquisitely rendered image painted with an academic precision and deep reverence. Three works by the British street artist known only as Banksy include a screen print, estimated to bring up to $150,000. Mr Thomson said Banksy has a world-wide reputation for challenging social norms in his art work which often expose uncomfortable truths through his sharp and visually arresting style. City with Towered Houses, a 1974 painting and one of the two works by Peter Siddell, the New Zealand artist who died in 20111 aged 76, was expected to bring up to $200,000. 'Even in tight economic times art works of the style and quality we have listed in this sale, have always attracted a lot interest and we have been fielding calls from throughout New Zealand and other parts of the world, particularly for the Banksy and Goldie works,' Mr Thomson said.
Scoop
23-07-2025
- Scoop
Significant Art Sale Next Week
A highly sought after art work by one of the country's most acclaimed painters of New Zealand bird life, is predicted to bring up to $750,000 when it is offered for sale for the first time in many years in Auckland next week. Don Binney, who died in 2012 aged 72, was an avid bird lover and his oil painting, Fatbird II, will be offered at an auction of Important and Rare Art at the International Art Centre in Parnell, Auckland, next week (subs: Tuesday, July 29). The sale also features numerous other works by renowned artists including New Zealand's Charles Frederick Goldie, Frances Hodgkins, Peter Siddell, and the world-acclaimed British street artist known only as Banksy. The signed and dated oil painting, Fatbird II was painted by Binney in 1964 and features a New Zealand native wood pigeon (kereru) swooping over two New Zealand tom tits, affectionately known at the time as fatbirds. International Art Centre director Richard Thomson, who will conduct the sale, said the Binney work had not been offered for sale for many years. He said Binney was known as a great innovator in the art world and Fatbird II, is considered to be an exemplary work from the greatest period of his art. He said like numerous Binney bird life paintings, in Fatbird II he has brought together stylised birds of two different species. The sale also included three works by Goldie, one of which has been described as an exceptional portrait of a 90-year-old kaumatua (respected Maori elder) and another of a respected 102-year-old Maori woman, said to be an exquisitely rendered image painted with an academic precision and deep reverence. Three works by the British street artist known only as Banksy include a screen print, estimated to bring up to $150,000. Mr Thomson said Banksy has a world-wide reputation for challenging social norms in his art work which often expose uncomfortable truths through his sharp and visually arresting style. City with Towered Houses, a 1974 painting and one of the two works by Peter Siddell, the New Zealand artist who died in 20111 aged 76, was expected to bring up to $200,000. 'Even in tight economic times art works of the style and quality we have listed in this sale, have always attracted a lot interest and we have been fielding calls from throughout New Zealand and other parts of the world, particularly for the Banksy and Goldie works,' Mr Thomson said.
