Gallery scores coup with Hanley display | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

The Tauranga Art Gallery has scored a minor coup in obtaining Pat Hanley's The Seven Ages of Man series for an exhibition which opened on Saturday.

The seven paintings involved were commissioned by Hamish Keith in 1975, for the University of Auckland's then-new Medical School "Link" building, where they have been ever since on permanent display.

Because they were created specifically for the site with one on each floor, they have never before been seen together as a group.

Nor have they been exhibited publicly until being brought together for their gallery debut in Tauranga while extensive refurbishment takes place at the University.

Pat Hanly was an artist and teacher who was a significant figure in contemporary New Zealand painting in the latter half of the 20th century. His colourful work references Shakespeare's "all the world's a stage" monologue from As You Like It, and coincides with a period of self-discovery he began with his Who Am I?/I Am/Do It works at the start of the 1970s.

His vibrant interpretations of life were positive and filled with vitality. He was concerned more for the integrity of expression than the commercial value of his work and demonstrated his concern for social, moral and political issues not only through his painting but also by public demonstration.

Hanly gained a national reputation for his waterborne protests over nuclear testing, on one occasion taking his small yacht out into Auckland harbour to protest against the arrival of the nuclear submarine, Pintado.

The Seven Ages of Man can be viewed at Tauranga Art Gallery until October 10.