Short Lives of Birds: Nigel Brown

"Birds don't exist in isolation in these paintings but are related to humans. They retain their own identities but often have symbolic implications... the works are about creating a mythology and making commentary". Nigel Brown

Nigel Brown (ONZM) was born in Invercargill, New Zealand in 1949. He studied under Colin McCahon while at Elam School of Arts, University of Auckland, where he achieved his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1971. Since then he has exhibited extensively in public and private galleries throughout New Zealand and has had several touring exhibitions. Nigel Brown is one of New Zealand’s most instantly recognised artists. His works are painterly and expressive, with colour playing an important role in the overall composition, reflecting the bare tones of New Zealand landscape. He blends symbolic and expressionist approaches with a deep social concern and mixes myth with realism to create visual stories specific to New Zealand culture.