John Edgar 1950-2021
One of New Zealand's self-taught artists, John Edgar has always retained strong links with, and a passion for the environment, his thoughts reflecting what we do with it and the damage we cause it. Working in stone for twenty years and more, John is a master of his craft, his technique, and abilities outstanding. Spanning a career of over fifty years, John Edgar died on 3 April 2021. A great loss for the Arts and a man who will be missed by many.
With a quiet elegance John Edgar's work sits solemnly waiting to be warmed by human contact; just as the stone Edgar works in waits in locations all over the world to be transformed by the artist.
John Edgar traveled annually on prospecting tours, selecting the best specimens he can find in India, Scotland and locally. He regularly works with Coromandel granite and common New Zealand greywacke river stones, and in recent years he has used Indian limestone. Edgar's works contrast stones by inserting crosses and lines, mimicking mathematical symbols, but also working the contrasting stone down to differing levels. The degree of accuracy needed to achieve this is minute and the margin for error is negligible.
In 2009 he became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to art, in particular sculpture. In the same year Edgar mounted a major exhibition Ballast in Edinburgh, with works made from Scottish-sourced stone.
Key stages in his career have been covered with nationally touring exhibitions Calculus 2002-2004, Lie of the Land 1998-1999, Cross Country 1996 and Making Amends 1993-1995. In 2012, his sculpture Lie of the Land was installed in the Savill Garden, the New Zealand Garden at Windsor, United Kingdom.
His public sculptures in Auckland are in the Auckland Domain, Queen Street and Waitakere City Civic Centre. Edgar was actively involved in conservation and environmental projects and was the President of the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society for thirteen years. He was also on the Trust Board of the Corbans Estate Arts Centre.
"For thirty years I have been trying to make good sense in my art. I have attempted to imbue my work with both the essence of the mountain, the river and the vast array of knowledge that is available to us in the 21st century. It's a difficult task to teach a stone to talk. But if you listen carefully you might just catch a word or two." - John Edgar, 2006
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John EdgarBlack LensBasalt4 x 32 x 32 cm
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John EdgarJE 52 - Purple, 2013Italian marble & glass9 x 9 cm
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John EdgarSum, 2009Coromandel granite12.5 x 33.5 x 26.5 cm
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John EdgarVent Confrontation, 1997Red granite & black granite33.3 x 260 x 2.9 cm
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John EdgarKnife Altar Sacrifice, 1992Red granite & black granite15 x 40 x 4 cm
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John EdgarCoins of the (New) Realm, 1984MokoMoko Argillite & Copper5.4 x 5.4 cm
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John EdgarCubeSpeckled Granite (NZ) and Tonalite Granite (Scotland)8.5 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm
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John EdgarFlag 12Black granite, green serpentine28 x 44.5 cm
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John EdgarFlag 16Red granite & black granite31.5 x 31.5 x 3 cm
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John EdgarFlag 22Black granite, green serpentine34 x 34 x 2.5 cm
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John EdgarFlag 23Red granite & black granite31 x 34.5 x 1.8 cm
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John EdgarFlag 6Red Granite/ Black Granite/ Green Serpentine24.5 x 38 x 3 cm
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John EdgarGlass and MirrorSlate, glass & mirror2.5 x 26 x 13 cm
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John EdgarJE StoneWhite marble, granite4 x 10 cm
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John EdgarSpirit Level - BlueBlack granite and blue glass9.5 x 4.5 x 3 cm
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John EdgarSpirit Level - GlassBlack granite and glass9.5 x 4.5 x 3 cm
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John EdgarSpirit Level - RedBlack and red granite9.5 x 4.5 x 3 cm
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John EdgarTokenPakohe (Argillite), Pohutukawa wood box with velvet lining7 x 7 cm
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MANZ - Medal Art New Zealand
Our Nature 14 March - 3 April 2023ARTIS Gallery is the host gallery for Medal Art New Zealand (MANZ) – a group of New Zealand’s leading contemporary sculptors. This 2023 biennial exhibition has thirty artists presenting medals and /or small sculptures.Read more -
Aotearoa Art Fair 2023
STAND A5 2 - 5 March 2023ARTIS Gallery returned Aotearoa Art Fair on Thursday 2 - Sunday 5 March at The Cloud on Tāmaki Makaurau Queens Wharf. Located at Booth A5 the Gallery featured two distinct instalments over the course of the Fair. During the opening two days, we exhibited new works from Liam Barr, Nigel Brown, John Edgar, Fatu Feu'u, Hamish Foote, Andy Leleisi'uao, Peter Panyoczki, Ann Robinson, and Terry Stringer.Read more -
MANZ - Medal Art New Zealand
A Place to Stand 30 March - 18 April 2021This 2021 biennial exhibition has thirty-one artists presenting medals and /or small sculptures. A diversity is demonstrated in the works that make up this exhibition and is also reflective of...Read more -
MANZ - Medal Art New Zealand
About Face 19 March - 14 April 2019ARTIS Gallery is the host gallery for Medal Art New Zealand (MANZ) – a group of New Zealand’s leading contemporary sculptors. This 2019 biennial exhibition has thirty-four artists presenting medals...Read more