Luit Bieringa Explained

Birth Name:Luitjen Hendrik Bieringa[1]
Birth Date:1942 9, df=yes
Birth Place:Groningen
Death Place:Wellington
Occupation:Art historian, art gallery director, museum director, film director
Years Active:1971–2022

Luit Bieringa (1942–2022) was a New Zealand art historian, art gallery director and documentary film maker.[2] Bieringa was born in Groningen in the Netherlands and emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1956.[3]

Museum career

He was Director of the Manawatū Art Gallery from 1971 until 1979.[4] During this time he led the development of a new purpose-built art centre (the gallery had previously run out of a converted house).[5] He later recalled:

"The main thing was to try and change the context in which the gallery operated to becoming a fully-fledged public institution that the community could relate to. We had people's support and if you think of the time, the early 70s, we'd only just moved out of the rugby, racing and beer environment."

In developing the new gallery, Bieringa focused on making the gallery "as accessible as possible to all the people of the Manawatu, whether their interest be in functional pottery or conceptual art."[6] As one of only three staff at the museum Bieringa was hands-on with all aspects of opening and running the gallery.[6] Influenced by a 1975-76 study trip to Europe funded by the New Zealand Arts Council, Bieringa adopted an approach that a reviewer at the time of opening said "set the way for an active, community based gallery that will meet the needs and offer more besides for the people of the Manawatu."[6] During his time at the Manawatū Art Gallery (now part of the Te Manawa museum complex) Bieringa curated the landmark contemporary photography exhibition The Active Eye.[7]

In 1979 Bieringa was appointed Director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand. He held this position until 1989. He was a champion of photography in New Zealand, promoting it on a national level with major exhibitions at the National Art Gallery during his directorship, including New Zealand surveys and exhibitions of the work of Peter Black, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman and Richard Misrach.

Bieringa also brought with him a focus on contemporary art backed up by a local and global exhibition program that included: America and Europe a Century of Modern Masters from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection (1980),[8] Rita Angus (1982),[9] Views/Exposures - Ten Contemporary New Zealand Photographers (1982),[10] I will need words: Colin McCahon’s word and number paintings (1984),[11] Content-context 1986, Para Matchitt: Huakina (1986),[12] Wild Visionary Spectral: New German Art (1986),[13] When Art Hits the Headlines (1987),[14] Barbara Kruger (1988),[15] Nobodies: Adventures of the Generic Figure (1989)[16] and Neil Dawson: Site Works (1989).[17] A number of these exhibitions were shown at the National Art Gallery's waterfront gallery Shed 11 the Temporary/Contemporary.

During Bieringa's time as Director a number of important purchases were added to the National Art Gallery collections including: Colin McCahon The Second Gate Series (1962)[18] and Practical Religion (1968–70),[19] Barbara Kruger Untitled (We are unsuitable for framing) (1985),[20] Robert Mapplethorpe Y Portfolio (1977),[21] Paratene Matchitt  Te Wepu (1986)[22] and Ralph Hotere Black Phoenix (1984–88).[23]

From 2003 until 2012 Bieringa served on the board of The Physics Room.[24]

Film career

Bieringa's career as a film director began in 2006 with the release of Ans Westra – Private Journeys / Public Signposts, a documentary about the photographer Ans Westra produced by Bieringa's wife, Jan Bieringa.[25] [26] This director-producer partnership continued with the making of three more arts documentaries:

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Amery . Mark . 2022-06-24 . Innovative but pragmatic friend to arts community . 2022-06-25 . Stuff . en . 25 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625045918/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/129054812/innovative-but-pragmatic-friend-to-arts-community . live .
  2. Web site: Region needs to back whale museum. Haas. Tony. 15 July 2009. Marlborough Express. 2 August 2009. 14 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121014114221/http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/2596416/Region-needs-to-back-whale-museum. live.
  3. Web site: Amery . Mark . 25 June 2022 . Innovative but pragmatic friend to arts community . Stuff . 25 June 2022 . 25 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220625045918/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/129054812/innovative-but-pragmatic-friend-to-arts-community . live .
  4. Web site: Luit H. Bieringa, Former Director of the National Art Gallery . Manawatu Heritage . 22 June 2022 . en . 24 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220624100527/https://manawatuheritage.pncc.govt.nz/item/0bc8b77d-2910-4a0a-a108-361e307ecd39 . live .
  5. Web site: Thomas . Carly . A 40-year celebration of art without boundaries . Stuff . 22 June 2022 . en . 4 October 2017 . 22 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220622024659/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/97446921/a-40year-celebration-of-art-without-boundaries . live .
  6. Web site: Spill . Nicholas . Opening the new Manawatu Art Gallery . art-newzealand.com . 22 June 2022 . 26 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220126042459/http://www.art-newzealand.com/Issues1to40/opening07.htm . live .
  7. Web site: The Active Eye . christchurchartgallery.org.nz . 22 June 2022 . 21 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210621080909/https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/exhibitions/contemporary-new-zealand-photography . live .
  8. Book: America & Europe, a century of modern masters from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. . 1980 . [Challenge Corp.] . National Art Gallery, Auckland City Art Gallery, Robert McDougall Art Gallery . 0-937014-03-6 . [Place of publication not identified] . 8046968 . 2 July 2022 . 15 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200615123856/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8046968 . live .
  9. Book: Angus, Rita . Rita Angus. . 1982 . National Art Gallery . National Art Gallery . 0-9597607-3-3 . Wellington, N.Z. . 12235600 . 2 July 2022 . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004307/https://www.worldcat.org/title/rita-angus/oclc/12235600 . live .
  10. Web site: Views/Exposures . 2022-07-01 . PhotoForum . en-NZ . 2 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220202093729/https://www.photoforum-nz.org/blog/2018/12/8/viewsexposures . live .
  11. Book: McCahon, Colin . I will need words : Colin McCahon's word and number paintings. . 1984 . National Art Gallery . National Art Gallery . 0-9597607-5-X . Wellington, N.Z. . 21528431 . 2 July 2022 . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004306/https://www.worldcat.org/title/i-will-need-words-colin-mccahons-word-and-number-paintings/oclc/21528431 . live .
  12. Book: New Zealand art at Te Papa . 2018 . Mark Stocker . 978-0-9941460-3-8 . Wellington, New Zealand . 1048884132 . 2 July 2022 . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004307/https://www.worldcat.org/title/new-zealand-art-at-te-papa/oclc/1048884132 . live .
  13. Book: Radford, Ron . Wild visionary spectral : new German art . 1986 . Art Gallery Board of South Australia with assistance from the Australian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and from Bayer Australia . Karl Ruhrberg, Wolfgang Max Faust, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, National Art Gallery . 0-7308-0787-8 . Adelaide . 14758766 . 2 July 2022 . 21 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121030725/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/14758766 . live .
  14. Book: Jim Barr, and Mary Barr . When art hits the headlines : a survey of controversial art in New Zealand . 1987 . National Art Gallery in association with the Evening Post . National Art Gallery . 0-9597785-4-3 . Wellington [N.Z.] . 21341543 . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004306/https://www.worldcat.org/title/when-art-hits-the-headlines-a-survey-of-controversial-art-in-new-zealand/oclc/21341543 . 2 July 2022 . live.
  15. Book: Kruger, Barbara . Barbara Kruger . 1988 . National Art Gallery . National Art Gallery, Shed II. The Temporary/Contemporary . 0-9597785-5-1 . Wellington, N.Z. . 18199431 . 2 July 2022 . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004307/https://www.worldcat.org/title/barbara-kruger/oclc/18199431 . live .
  16. Web site: Nobodies: Adventures of the Generic Figure . 2022-07-01 . robertleonard.org . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004307/https://robertleonard.org/nobodies/ . live .
  17. Book: Dawson, Neil . Neil Dawson : site works, 1981-1989 . 1989 . National Art Gallery . Mary Barr, Jim Barr . 0-908843-02-X . Wellington, N.Z. . 36528530 . 2 July 2022 . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004308/https://www.worldcat.org/title/neil-dawson-site-works-1981-1989/oclc/36528530 . live .
  18. Web site: Loading... Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . 2022-07-01 . collections.tepapa.govt.nz . 1 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210301042219/https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/217667 . live .
  19. Web site: Loading... Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . 2022-07-01 . collections.tepapa.govt.nz . 1 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210301042230/https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/42511 . live .
  20. Web site: Loading... Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . 2022-07-01 . collections.tepapa.govt.nz . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702004320/https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/7992 . live .
  21. Web site: Loading... Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . 2022-07-01 . collections.tepapa.govt.nz . 23 May 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170523211029/http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Object/36106 . live .
  22. Web site: Loading... Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . 2022-07-01 . collections.tepapa.govt.nz . 1 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211101022411/https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/38080 . live .
  23. Web site: Loading... Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . 2022-07-01 . collections.tepapa.govt.nz . 11 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220211121806/https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/37093 . live .
  24. Web site: Forde . Rosemary . Directors Report, The Physics Room Annual 2003 . physicsroom.org.nz . 22 June 2022 . 20 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210220114340/http://physicsroom.org.nz/archive/oldsite/publications/annual/2003/directorsreport.pdf . live .
  25. Web site: Bull . Alastair . 10 August 2006 . Coaxing Westra out from behind the lens . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121021020025/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10395319 . 2012-10-21 . The New Zealand Herald . 2 August 2009.
  26. Web site: Whānau Mārama: Luit Bieringa . 2022-06-24 . nziff.co.nz . en-GB . 24 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220624100544/https://www.nziff.co.nz/director/luit-bieringa/ . live .

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