Philippa Blair

Philippa was born in Christchurch New Zealand and now lives and works in San Pedra, California. She has taught and exhibited internationally for more than 35 years and is represented in numerous public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Europe, and the United States. She completed a Diploma in Fine Art from the Ilam School of Fine Art, Christchurch, in 1967 and was a winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Travel Award on three separate occasions. She has also completed commissions for stained glass windows, murals, posters, and prints, set design and interior designs.

Her work may be described as Conceptual Abstraction in that she incorporates aspects of colour with structure, incredible energy and rhythm. She is primarily a painter and has also created drawings and prints during the course of her career. The size of Blair’s canvases range from 60 x 60cm at $5000 USD to larger canvases at 153 x 244 at $18 000 USD.

COLLECTIONS

ANZ National Bank , Wellington, NZ
Atlantic Richfield Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland
Bank of New Zealand Art Collection,NZ
Bishop Suter Art Galery, Nelson
Chan Liu Museum, TaoYuan, Taiwan
Chartwell Collection, Hamilton, N.Z
Citibank Collection, New York, New York
Citicorp Collection, New York, New York
Connecticut Graphic Arts Center, Norwalk, Connecticut
Center of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, N.Z.
Christchurch College of Education
Christchurch Art Gallery
David Bowie Collection, Great Britain and Switzerland
Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin
Fletcher Challenge Trust Collection, Auckland, NZ
General Electric Co. Collection, New York, New York
Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
Griffis Art Center, New London, CT
Hocken Library, Dunedin
Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Collection, New York, New York
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California
Lincoln University, Canterbury ,New Zealand
Manawatu Art Gallery(Te Manawa), Palmerston North,NZ
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wellington
National Art Gallery, (Te Papa)Wellington
National Bank, Wellington
National Art Gallery, Canberra, Australia
National Women’s Hospital ,Auckland, NZ
Pfizer Corporation, U.S.A.,
Christchurch Museum , Canterbury, NZ
Rotorua Art Gallery, Rotorua
Rangi Ruru School, Christchurch
Saatchi & Saatchi, Wellington
Sargeant Gallery, Wanganui, NZ
Tien Chin Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan
The New Zealand Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
United Modern Masters Collection, Auckland
University of Auckland, Auckland
University of Canterbury, Christchurch,
Victoria University,Wellington, NZ
Waikato Museum of Art and History, Hamilton
Wallace Trust Collection, Auckland, NZ


PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, U.S.A, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Asia

AWARDS

1980 Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant (traveled in U.S.A and Germany, 1981)
1983 Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grant (traveled in France, Spain and Portugal 1985-6)
1987 Air NZ Queen Elizabeth II Arts Travel Award (traveled to U.S.A. 1987; Italy 1988)


COMMISSIONS

2006 “Celebrate Art NZ” interactive education poster (P Blair/ U.Cranmer text)
1995 Two Lithographs, Sky City Hotel and Casino, Auckland
1992 "6 Lithographs 1992," Works On Paper Gallery, Auckland
1990 "After Crazy Horse," Set Designer for dance production, Origins Dance Theatre, Auckland
1989 "1990 Prints," Muka Studio, Auckland
1989 Aotea Centre Mural, Auckland
1986 N.Z. Insurance Co. Printmakers Commission
1986 Collard Brothers Wine Labels
1985 International Festival of the Arts Poster
19865 Robertson Window, Havelock North
1983 Arts / Commerce Building Mural, University of Auckland, Auckland
1983 Auckland Regional Orchestra Poster
19863 Stained Glass Windows, Cook Islands Church, Otara, Auckland