Art & Ownership: Twentieth Century Bookplates.
6 November 2001 - 22nd January 2002
Based on a selection of bookplates from the
Hilda Wiseman's Bookplate Collection this exhibition coincided with the publication of
In Another Dimension: Auckland Bookplates 1920-1960 by Ian Thwaites.
The modern bookplate is generally pictorial, revealing the personal tastes, hobbies and individuality of the owner. The pictorial bookplate also allows the designer full rein in scope and artistic design. It is this creative aspect and the individuality the design reflects that makes the bookplate so appealing.
Well over one hundred modern bookplates from New Zealand, Australia, England, America and Europe were shown. Book plates owned by the following were shown in this exhibition: Jane Mander (NZ writer), Pat Lawlor (NZ journalist), Alexander Turnbull (NZ book collector), Bob Lowry (NZ printer), Patrick White (Australian writer), Adrian Feint (Australian artist), Douglas Mawson (Australian explorer), May Robson, Lord Gowrie, Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini.
The artists represented include Leo Bensemann, Stephen Champ, Ron Holloway, Mervyn Taylor, Trevor Lloyd, Lionel and Norman Lindsay, Eric Gill, Mark Severin, Rockwell Kent, Ruth Saunders, and of course Hilda Wiseman.
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Bookbindings 2001
1 October - 31 October 2001
Firefly, Blackbird Remembered and Assemblage Art are the names of some of the works from the Association of Book Crafts (NZ) National Binding Competition 2001.There were two categories. In the set book category, each participant was asked to bind a set book (A Press Achieved: The Emergence of Auckland Univeristy Press 1927-1972 by Denis McEldowney) in a style appropriate to its size and content. The open category allowed the binders free rein. In this section the results were entirely dependent on the resources and imagination of each binder and often challenged our conception of the book.
A small selection of private press bindings held by Special Collections were also displayed.
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West Meets East: Images of China and Japan 1533 to 1920
3 July - 22 September 2001
A selected number of written and photographic accounts by European travellers to China and Japan from materials held in Special Collections at Auckland Central City Library. By revealing Chinese civilisation to Europe through his writings, Marco Polo created the impetus for the Age of Discovery. The West's convergence with the East was gradual. Both China and nearby Japan were not new lands; they were known by report and reputation. Missionary efforts by the Jesuits and trading networks promoted further contact. During early visits, European travellers found many things to observe and learn. Initially, few Westerners dared to claim that they had grasped the complexities of Chinese and Japanese life, yet by the 19th century, treaties helped cement
political and economic ties. Such relations also facilitated closer cultural understanding.
Earliest item on display: 1533 Italian edition of Marco Polo's travels to Cathay (China)
Most recent item on display: typical 'tourist' photograph album of the early 1900s.
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An Embarrassment of Riches: The Visual Style of the Victorians
3 April - 23 June 2001
Nineteenth century ideals of taste are not always compatible with ours. The Victorian fondness for decoration, garish colour, sentimental subject matter, and mixing historical styles can easily induce a sense of overload. But at its best this profusion of influences can be exciting and dynamic, overflowing with confidence and exuberance.
This exhibition concentrated on the visual style of the Victorians as expressed in their books, albums, scrapbooks and ephemera.
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Captured in Print: An Alphabet of Animals
23 December 2000 - 17 March 2001
Have you seen the letter X yet?
Visitors to the exhibition commented "I loved what you put for X". "Great except for letter X". Other visitor favourites were the wombat, the lion, and the vipers, and of course the opossum "with the zipped up mouth". The exhibition featured a fascinating collection of animal illustrations from the 15th century to the present day. From anteaters to zebras, there were animals for every letter of the alphabet and even images of mythical animals.
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'A Dance to the Music of Time': The Works of Anthony Powell
21 October - 16 December 2000
The exhibition marked the end of a literary life by displaying the books and other writings by Anthony Powell, who died on 28 March 2000. It also formally acknowledged the donation of this collection to Auckland City Libraries by John Stacpoole. The Stacpoole-Powell Collection contains many first editions, variant issues, reviews and associated Powell materials.
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'A Most desirable place': Eye Witness Accounts of the Bay of Islands 1769 - 1845
22 July - 14 October 2000
This exhibition viewed events in the Bay of Islands through the eyes of those who were there, from Cook's first voyage and naming of the Bay of Islands in 1769, through to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and Hone Heke's rejection of it in the 1845 War in the North.
Original letters and diaries handwritten by naturalist Joseph Banks, missionaries Samuel Marsden and James Kemp, officials James Busby and Felton Mathew, as well as Hone Heke were featured in this exhibition. These were complemented by accounts in books, and by maps and a watercolour of Kororareka (Russell) by J.B.C. Hoyte seen here.
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