Douglas Kerr MacDiarmid (14 November 1922 – 26 August 2020) was a New Zealand expatriate painter, known for his diversity and exceptional use of colour, and involved with key movements in twentieth-century art. He lived in Paris, France, for most of his career.

Life

Douglas MacDiarmid was born in

Taihape Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town ...

, in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand, the younger son of Gordon Napier MacDiarmid, country general medical practitioner and surgeon (and former army surgeon on SS ''Maheno''), and his wife Mary Frances (née Tolme), a schoolteacher before her marriage. He was born in his family home upstairs from his father's surgery at 24 Huia Street, Taihape. He boarded at Huntley School in Marton, and

Timaru Boys' High School Timaru Boys' High School (also known as TBHS), established in 1880, is a single sex state (public) secondary school located in the port city of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. TBHS caters for years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 19 years). At t ...

, then studied literature, languages, music and philosophy at

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

. His studies were interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

military service in the army and air force at home. Although he had no formal art training, he was mentored by older members of

The Group The Group may refer to: Film and television * ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 * ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television * ''The Group ...

, an avant-garde set redefining New Zealand art and culture that he was closely involved with during his Christchurch years from 1940 to 1946. While his brother Ronald Diarmid MacDiarmid (1920–2013) followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a doctor, Douglas left New Zealand after the war in 1946 to find his way as an artist, teaching and painting in London and France. After a year back in New Zealand in 1949–50, he returned to France and was based there for the rest of his life, with homeland exhibitions and regular trips back to New Zealand. He died in Paris on 26 August 2020 at the age of 97. MacDiarmid was a cousin of the New Zealand scientist

Alan MacDiarmid Alan Graham MacDiarmid, ONZ FRS (14 April 1927 – 7 February 2007) was a New Zealand-born American chemist, and one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000. Early life and education MacDiarmid was born in Masterton, New ...

, one of three recipients of the

Nobel Prize for Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

in 2000. The following year, Douglas painted a portrait of his cousin for the

New Zealand Portrait Gallery The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata is an art gallery in the Waterfront Shed 11 building in Wellington, New Zealand. History The gallery was registered as a charitable trust in 1990. In 2005 the board hired its first paid dir ...

collection. His childhood home is now a bed and breakfast called Magpie Manor at 24 Huia Street, Taihape.

Career

From 1952, MacDiarmid was a full-time artist in Paris. He also wrote poetry. Not confined to a style, he created landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, figures, abstract and semi-abstract forms, many inspired by his extensive travels, and exhibited successfully in France, London, Athens, New York, and Casablanca. In 1990, MacDiarmid was brought back to New Zealand for the country's sesquicentennial celebrations, and declared a New Zealand living cultural treasure by the government of the day. His portrait was painted by

Jacqueline Fahey Jacqueline Mary Fahey (born 1929) is a New Zealand painter and writer. Biography Of Irish Catholic ancestry, Fahey was born in Timaru in 1929. Fahey had strong female role models in her life: her mother was a pianist who attended the Melbourn ...

at the time for the new

. MacDiarmid painted the portraits of

Rita Angus Henrietta Catherine Angus (12 March 1908 – 25 January 1970), known as Rita Cook early in her career, was a New Zealand painter who, alongside Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston, is regarded as one of the leading figures in twentieth-century Ne ...

and

Theo Schoon Theodorus Johannes Schoon (31 July 1915 – 14 July 1985) was a Dutch-born New Zealand artist, photographer and carver. Biography Theo Schoon was born at Kebumen, Java in the East Indies, the son of Dutch parents, Johannes Theodorus Schoon a ...

among others. His paintings are owned by French and New Zealand governments, the City of Paris, and public and private collections across the world, including New Zealand, Australia, the United States, France, England, Greece, Switzerland, Morocco, South Africa, China, South America, Korea, and Tahiti, as well as the collection of the late

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

and

Duchess of Windsor Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Spencer and then Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986) was an American socialite and the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (former King Edward VIII). Their intenti ...

. In 2016, two of his paintings sold through Art+Object for a record price (for the artist) of more than $27,000 each as part of the Tim and Sherrah Francis Collection, the highest grossing art auction in New Zealand history. A series of MacDiarmid's line drawings were used to illustrate a little volume of poems by New Zealand Poet Laureate 2015–2017

C. K. Stead Christian Karlson "Karl" Stead (born 17 October 1932) is a New Zealand writer whose works include novels, poetry, short stories, and literary criticism. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and internationally celebrated writers. Early l ...

. Published by the

Alexander Turnbull Library The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...

, the signed, limited edition book was titled ''In the mirror, and dancing'' (2017) and hand-pressed by Brendan O'Brien. The book was launched on 8 August 2017 in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, with the assistance of

Gregory O'Brien Gregory Leo O’Brien (born 1961) is a New Zealand poet, painter, author and editor. He is also an art curator and writes art history and criticism for both adults and children. Life Born in Matamata in 1961, O'Brien trained as a journalist in ...

to celebrate the conclusion of Stead's laureateship. Senior art historian Associate Professor Leonard Bell, of the School of Humanities at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, noted MacDiarmid's name missing in overviews of the history of painting in New Zealand and has welcomed the launch of his biography ''Colours of a Life - the life and times of Douglas MacDiarmid'' by Anna Cahill (2018). MacDiarmid died from COVID-19 in 2020.

Significant exhibitions

* 1945: Showed with

, Christchurch (also 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1963) * 1950:

Helen Hitchings Helen Hitchings (17 June 1920 – 4 July 2002) was a New Zealand art dealer, best known for the short-lived but influential eponymous dealer gallery she opened in Wellington in 1949. Gallery of Helen Hitchings At age 28 Hitchings opened New Z ...

Gallery, Wellington (first solo show) * 1951: Work shown at Bienniale de Menton salon exhibition, Gallery Pierre Mondal, London * 1952: ''Aquarelle'', Galerie Morihien, Paris (first solo French exhibition). Fifteen New Zealand Painters, Irving Galleries, Leicester, presented by

as first exhibition of contemporary NZ art in Britain. Also New Forms Gallery, Athens, Greece. * 1953: Chelsea Private Gallery, London; Galerie Royale, Paris * 1955: Galerie Ror Volmar, Paris * 1958: Galerie du Colisée, Paris, Galerie du Claridge, Paris. Pierre Montal Gallery group exhibition, London * 1959: André Brooke's Gallery 91, Christchurch. John Leech Gallery, Auckland. Beaux Arts group exhibition, Paris, works selected for L'Exposition du Prix Othon Friesz, Paris * 1960: Commonwealth Week, Midland Bank, London; Gallery Pierre Montal, London;

Redfern Gallery The Redfern Gallery is an exhibition space in the West End of London specialising in contemporary British art. It was founded by Arthur Knyvett-Lee and Anthony Maxtone Graham in 1923 as an artists' cooperative on the top floor of Redfern H ...

, London. Galeries Felix Varcel, represented NZ in New York Norwich International Exhibition, London * 1961: Architectural Centre, Wellington * 1963: Galerie Chardin, Paris; New Forms Gallery, Athens * 1964: Opening of NZ House, London (the first painter to exhibit there). Represented NZ at Stamford International Exhibition, Connecticut, USA * 1965: Galerie 259 Raspail, Paris, with sculptor Dambrin. Represented at NZ painting and ceramics exhibition, New Zealand Embassy, Paris. John Leech Gallery, Auckland (also 1966, 1967, 1971, 1973) * 1966: Ensemble exhibition, Palmerston North Public Art Gallery, NZ. Group exhibition of NZ Paintings & Pottery, NZ Embassy, Washington DC * 1968: Retrospective MacDiarmid Exhibition, Wellington; Galerie Berri-Lardy, Paris. Represented NZ at Commonwealth Exhibition, Bristol, UK * 1969: Bishop Suter Art Gallery, Nelson, NZ. * 1970:

Dunedin Public Art Gallery The Dunedin Public Art Gallery holds the main public art collection of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Located in The Octagon in the heart of the city, it is close to the city's public library, Dunedin Town Hall, and other facilities such as ...

, Festival Week Exhibition. Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery, Christchurch * 1972: Galerie Motte, Paris * 1974: Medici Galleries, Wellington (also 1975, 1976) * 1976: NZ House, London; Galerie Venise Cadre, Casablanca, Morocco * 1977: Galerie Séguier, Paris * 1979: Galeriè Bond Street, Casablanca * 1981: Louise Beale Gallery, Wellington (also 1985) * 1983: Galerie Lambert, Paris (also 1986) * 1989: Chez Lonjon, Paris – first home based exhibition * 1990: NZ Sesquicentennial Exhibition, ''Light Release'', Louise Beale/Christopher Moore Gallery, Wellington; National Art Gallery, Wellington * 1992: Christopher Moore Gallery, Wellington (also 1993, 1995, 1997). MacDiarmid studio exhibitions, Paris (also 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005) * 1995: New Zealand Embassy, Paris * 1996:

Sarjeant Gallery The Sarjeant Gallery at Pukenamu, Queen's Park Whanganui is a regional art museum with a collection of international and New Zealand art. It was closed for 10 years for redevelopment and re-opened on Saturday 9 November 2024. In 2024 it was anno ...

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

, NZ * 1999–2002: Ferner Galleries, Auckland & Wellington, NZ, MacDiarmid 50th anniversary ''Retrospective 1948–1998 – From the Artist's Studio,'' followed by ''Celebrating the artist at 80'' retrospective to coincide with the New Zealand launch of art history book ''MacDiarmid'' by French art historian

Nelly Finet Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

* 2003: St Tropez, France, solo exhibition for 5th Australia/New Zealand Film Festival * 2004: NZ Embassy residence, Paris * 2006:

Hocken Collections Hocken Collections (, formerly the Hocken Library) is a research library, historical archive, and Art museum, art gallery based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its library collection, which is of national significance, is administered by the University ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

NZ, ''Douglas MacDiarmid: A Very Generous Gift''; St Tropez, France 11–15 October. This show supported the release of ''A Stranger Everywhere'' documentary at Australia/New Zealand Film Festival; Otago University Auckland Centre; NZ Embassy exhibition, Paris * 2008: New Zealand Embassy, Paris, also 2011 exhibition in aid of

Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the Canterbury Region in the South Island, centred south-east of the centr ...

reparation * 2013: Montmartre, Paris exhibition with expatriate NZ sculptor Marion Fountain; Jonathan Grant Gallery, Aucklan
Douglas MacDiarmid: An Artist Abroad
* 2015: Early work shown in

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...

autumn Nga Toi exhibition, WellingtonTrevelyan, J. "'The wild country of my Taihape': a painting by Douglas MacDiarmid". ''Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa'', 11 December 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2016. * 2017: University of Auckland's Gus Fisher Gallery exhibited work covering a period of six decades, gifted to the University of Auckland Art Collection by Douglas in 2015. * 2018: ''Colours of a Life: Douglas MacDiarmid'',

. Coinciding with the publication of his biography by the same name, this was an exhibition curated by Anna Cahill and Jaenine Parkinson to celebrate the life and art of MacDiarmid, including a survey of his portraits and figurative works that span from realist figuration through to geometric abstraction, and showcasing his vibrant use of colour and the network of relationships the artist formed to places and people throughout his life and career.

Bibliography

* Bell, L.,
In transit: Questions of home and belonging in New Zealand art
" presented and transcribed as part of the 2006 Gordon H. Brown Lecture series. * Bell, L., "A stranger everywhere: Douglas MacDiarmid and New Zealand," ''Art New Zealand'' 123 (Winter 2007), pp. 76–81, 95. * Brown, G. H., (1981) ''New Zealand painting 1940–1960: Conformity and dissension,'' Wellington: QEII Arts Council. pp. 46, 50–51, 58, 61, 100. * Cahill, A., (2017) "Douglas MacDiarmid: A man for all seasons",
Contemporary Hum
' * Cahill, A., (2018) ''Colours of a Life: The life and times of Douglas MacDiarmid'', Auckland
Mary Egan Publishing
* Finet, N., (2002) ''MacDiarmid,'' Paris: Editions STAR. * Fraser, R., "Douglas MacDiarmid: A conversation with an expatriate," ''Art New Zealand'' 59 (Winter 1991) pp. 84, 87, 105. * Frizzell, D., (2012) ''It's all about the image,'' Auckland: Random House NZ. * Grinda, E., (2006
''A Stranger Everywhere,''
(52-minute documentary film on MacDiarmid's work and views). Hong Kong: Artisan Limited. * Johnstone, C., (2006) ''Landscape paintings of New Zealand: A journey from north to south,'' Auckland: Godwit Press. * MacDiarmid, D. "What is art supposed to do?" ''Ascent: A journal of the arts in New Zealand'', 1, 1, (November 1967) pp. 11–15. * Norman, P., (2006) ''

Douglas Lilburn Douglas Gordon Lilburn (2 November 19156 June 2001) was a New Zealand composer. Early life Lilburn was born in Whanganui and spent his early years on the family sheep farm in the upper Turakina River valley at Drysdale. He attended Waitaki ...

: His life and work,'' Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. * O'Brien, G., (2008)
Back and Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young and Curious
', Auckland: Auckland University Press. * Simpson, P., (2016)

', Auckland: Auckland University Press. * Trevelyan, J., (2008) ''

: An artist's life,'' Wellington:

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa (Māori language, Māori for 'Waka huia, the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the Nation ...

. * Wolfe, R., (2008) ''New Zealand portraits,'' Auckland: Penguin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdiarmid, David 1922 births 2020 deaths People from Taihape 20th-century New Zealand painters 20th-century New Zealand male artists 21st-century New Zealand painters 21st-century New Zealand male artists People educated at Timaru Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand expatriates in France New Zealand military personnel of World War II People associated with The Group (New Zealand art) Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in France