Four Epic Art Galleries in Wellington

words by niall roeder

Wellington is said to be the creative capital of New Zealand. And with that tag comes a responsibility to put on shows and festivals, throw parties and exhibitions, and to offer a wealth of art galleries. When it comes to this, especially the latter, Ol’ Welly does pretty… errr, well.

By all means, this is not a list of all the art galleries in Wellington. Nor is it a list of the four best. It is, however, a list of four acclaimed and worthy art galleries that can be enjoyed by everyone, from your dainty old nan to your smug flatmate. Whether you’re an art lover or art novice, these are galleries are well worth a gander.

The New Zealand Portrait Gallery
The open and airy New Zealand Portrait Gallery proudly presents the people and cultural heritage of NZ to whoever walks through the historic doors. Their growing collection of donated and sponsored portraits depict the people that have helped shape the country in some way, painted by artists like Leo Bensemann. Furthermore, it’s free, well-spaced and far from overwhelming.

beauty is in the eye of the colonizer

A post shared by Alok Vaid-Menon (@alokvmenon) on Oct 10, 2016 at 2:46pm PDT

The Dowse Art Museum
With over 2000 items, the Dowse Art Museum is one of New Zealand’s largest public art collections. This free and kid-friendly gallery has built its reputation on consistently presenting quality exhibitions by national and international contemporary artists. Past exhibitions include Liu Jianhua, Ruth Meier and Lonnie Hutchinson.

Outside the building this evening

A post shared by The Dowse Art Museum (@thedowse) on Apr 10, 2017 at 10:58pm PDT

Bartley + Company Art
This crew lives by the notion that any gallery is only as good as the company it keeps – if it ain’t up to scratch in their books, they ain’t showing it. Bartley + Company promotes emerging and established contemporary artists that stir the curators’ arty loins, so if you have a question, feel free to spark up a conversation with someone there.

@annshelton_'s 'jane says' installed + ready to open tomorrow at @bartleycoart. Join us to celebrate with the artist from 5.30pm #annshelton #bartleycoart #art #janesays #wellington

A post shared by Bartley and Company Art (@bartleycoart) on Jan 31, 2017 at 12:17am PST

City Gallery Wellington
Art that makes you think – that’s what these guys are going for. And as the big dog on the art scene and with a lot of pull to get the big names, that’s what they provide. City Gallery Wellington has shown heavyweights like Yayoi Kusama, Tracey Emin, and Frida Kahlo; as well locals like Bill Hammond, Ralph Hotere and Shane Cotton.

Beautiful digital paintings by LA artist Petra Cortright are now on show at City Gallery as part of the artist's first NZ exhibition RUNNING NEO-GEO GAMES UNDER MAME #freeentry @petcortright #digitalpainting

A post shared by City Gallery Wellington (@citygallerywellington) on Apr 7, 2017 at 11:07pm PDT