ANN ROBINSON

milford galleries queenstown9A Earl Street Tel (03) 442 6896 [email protected]

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

ANN ROBINSONT H E T H I C K A N D T H I N O F I T

Apr i l 6 th - May 2 nd, 2012

1. Geometric Vase #5 (Chardonnay) (2011), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 372 x 268 x 277 mm

2. Curved Vase (Bronze) (2011), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 480 x 360 x 325 mm

3. Side Carved Flax Pod (Red) (2010), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 335 x 365 x 245 mm

4. Curved Vase (Lime) (2011), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 525 x 355 x 333 mm

5. Twisted Flax Pods #48 & #49 (2012)

cast glass, cast aluminium, pod #48 (v x h x d): 110 x 1320 x 300 mm, pod #49 (v x h x d): 95 x 1110 x 470 mm

6. Geometric Vase #2 (Grey) (2011), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 350 x 265 x 265 mm

7. Curved Vase (Semillon) (2011), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 515 x 360 x 330 mm

8. Landscape Bowl (Green) (2012)

cast glass, etched pattern, size (v x h x d): 420 x 530 x 260 mm

9. Geometric Vase (Rhubarb) (2011)

cast glass, etched pattern, size (v x h x d): 372 x 267 x 267 mm


colour transition of Rhubarb glass from incandescent to fluorescent light


colour transition of Rhubarb glass from incandescent to fluorescent light

10. Curved Vase (Pale Jade) (2012), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 512 x 325 x 353 mm

11. Curved Square Vase (2011), cast glass, size (v x h x d): 350 x 269 x 269 mm

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

E X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S TE X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S TE X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S TE X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S T

1 Geometric Vase #5 (Chardonnay) (2011) 28,000

2 Curved Vase (Bronze) (2011) 28,000

3 Side Carved Flax Pod (Red) (2010) 27,000

4 Curved Vase (Lime) (2011) 29,000

5 Twisted Flax Pods #48 & #49 (2012) POA

6 Geometric Vase #2 (Grey) (2011) 28,000

7 Curved Vase (Semillon) (2011) 29,000

8 Landscape Bowl (Green) (2012) POA

9 Geometric Vase (Rhubarb) (2011) 29,000

10 Curved Vase (Pale Jade) (2012) 29,000

11 Curved Square Vase (2011) 28,000

Ann Robinson’s exhibition “The Thick and Thin of It” is dominated by two new

forms and features an important new development in her work.

The Geometric Vases sit within Robinson’s well-known, acclaimed, signature

trademarks of imperious design and supreme form. What sets these apart

from all that has gone before – even when the lineage is obviously sequential

in nature – is that the role of glass mass (being dramatically thicker than all

other previous works) has been elevated to being one of the primary factors

in what we see and how we see it.

The top of these works have been polished, the sides acid etched. Light

enters through the top and is then trapped as it moves about and engages

the interior space. Colour coalesces and then breaks into the constituent

components. Variable modulating tones develop, the internal space of the

vase hovers in suspension as if independent of all else. The top seems to

recede and come forward at the same time - a powerful sensation of infinity

is established. At the edges – where the forms become thin, as they alter

direction – light flares as if being squeezed out.

The form and design qualities of the Geometric Vases are determined by the

interplay of three squares: one at the base, two at the top. Robinson

connects these with curved rising edges and in this way the vase flares up

and fattens out almost imperceptibly. A recessed leaf sits into the spine of the

rising edges. This subtle, under-stated, naturalistic motif connects the work

(and viewer) back to the fundamental impulse to all of Robinson’s works, the

botanical rhythms of the natural environment.

Additional height has been introduced to the Curved Vases and the resulting

gain of sculptural stature is real and very significant. The Curved Vases have

acquired an aspirational quality with this extra height - the eye journeys up in

an energy flow before then emerging out and going back down, thus

becoming cyclical in nature as the process commences again. The palettes

of the Curved Vases are soft and delicate, the form flares up and (depending

on which side is being viewed) then spreads out.

The Curved Vases have a decidedly and surprisingly ambiguous nature

because of these substantially different shapes and forms being revealed or

hidden. There is also an expressionistic quality to these works where the outer

edges darken like an outline drawn, inside which the soft colour waxes and

wanes. This tonal density defines the vase in space and yet at the top it fades

- becoming indistinct – as it alters into white light. This then is another variable,

another consequence, of “The Thick and Thin of It.”

The Landscape Bowl is a well-known form of Ann Robinson’s but engraved on

its outer skin for the first time is the skeletal form of a lacebark leaf. This forges

a dialogue about decay and renewal, with the image acting like a tattoo

inscribed into the (metaphorical) surface of the land. There is also a symbiosis

between the leaf shape and structural pattern with (when viewed from

above) the seed shape of the Landscape Bowl.

The top of a Rhubarb Geometric Vase also features lacebark leaves, bisected

by the internal square, floating in suspension and hovering in the infinity of

horizontal space.

This important exhibition also includes two magnificent semillon-coloured

Twisted Flax Pods and an exquisite, resolute, Red Side-Carved Pod.

Ann Robinson 2012 CV milford galleries queenstown www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

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ANN ROBINSON b. 1944, lives Auckland

Scallop Bowl (2010)

Ann Robinson is an internationally significant glass artist and an acclaimed innovator who has

been at the forefront of the extraordinary achievement of New Zealand glass.

Robinson’s cast glass pieces have a commanding presence. She gathers inspiration from her

natural environment incorporating the particular colours and shapes of native flora into her

work.

“The Power of Ann Robinson’s work comes from its bold simplicity, its vivid colouring, its

controlled forms. She admits to being seduced by the material itself and declares her aim is

‘to make stunning things in glass’.” (1)

“Ann Robinson’s work contains the smell and presence of the flora and fauna of the New

Zealand bush. Her environmental idiom and examinations of the natural world have

established the devotional forms and subject of her work. There is a powerful sense of place,

an undeniable presence of the artist’s point of view - art with a purpose and something to say.

Ann Robinson was born in 1944 and lives in Auckland. She has achieved major national and

international recognition for her accomplishments in glass. Robinson was awarded the

American Glass Society’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006 and an Arts Laureate by the

Arts Foundation of New Zealand in 2004. Recipient 2002 John Britten Award for contribution to

New Zealand design. Awarded New Zealand Order of Merit 2001. Robinson is represented in

public collections such as Corning Museum (USA), Victoria and Albert Museum (UK) National

Gallery of Victoria, (Australia), Stradtmuseum (Germany), Auckland Museum and Te Papa.

1. Dan Klein, Artists in Glass: Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass, Mitchell Beazley, Great

Britain, 2001


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ANN ROBINSON b. 1944, lives Auckland

EDUCATION 1980 DipFA, University of Auckland

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2012 The Thick and Thin of It, milford galleries queenstown

2010 Masterworks, milford galleries queenstown

Abundance, FHE Galleries, Auckland

2009 Celebrating the Recession, Milford Galleries Dunedin, Dunedin

2008 Divaricate, FHE Galleries, Auckland

A Trans Tasman Sampler, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne, Australia

2006 Ann Robinson, R Duane Reed, ST Louis, Missouri, USA

2005 A Sombre Take, FHE G2 Galleries, Auckland

2002-03 Pacific Rim: Ann Robinson's Glass, Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa,

Wellington

2001 Ann Robinson: Light from New Zealand, Gallerie Jean Claude Chapellotte, Luxembourg

2000 Old Zeal: New Zeal, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne, Australia

1999 Adrift, Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA

1998 Ann Robinson, Casting Light: A Survey of Glass Castings 1981-1997, Dowse Art Museum

Wellington and New Gallery, Auckland

1997 Tall Poppies, Lopdell House Gallery, Waitakere

A Point in Time, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland

1995 Ann Robinson: A Survey, Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA

1994 Ann Robinson at Masterworks, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland

Galerie L, Hamburg, Germany

From Fantasy to Function V, Kurts Bingham Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

1993 Ann Robinson, Grand opening of Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA

1992 Masterworks Gallery, Parnell, Auckland

1984 Artisan Centre, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2012 Chosen, milford galleries queenstown

2011 Traverse, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2010 Bloom, milford galleries queenstown

2009 Luminaries, Sabia Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Masterworks, milford galleries queenstown

2006 111, with Elizabeth McClure and Emily Siddell, FHE Galleries, Auckland

Contemporary Glass, Group Show, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland

2005 Garden Varieties, with Bronwyn Cornish and Fran Allison, Masterworks Gallery, Auckland

Axia Modern Art, Sydney, Australia

Glass Invitational, Milford Galleries Dunedin, Milford Galleries Queenstown, traveling to

Auckland Museum, Auckland, Pataka, Petone, and Canterbury Museums, Christchurch

2003-04 Southern Exposure, NZ Soc of Artists in Glass traveling exhibition to Ebeltof, Denmark.

2003 Is As, Landscape as a Metaphor, Milford Galleries Dunedin, Dunedin

2002 Glass Invitational, Touring exhibition, Milford Galleries Dunedin, Dunedin

2001 Transparent Things, National Gallery of Australia in partnership with the Wagga Wagga

Regional Art Gallery, Australia

2000 Creativity and Collaboration, Pilchuck Glass School's 30 Years, Bumbershoot 2000 Seattle

Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

1999 New Zealand Glass, Axia Modern Art, Melbourne, Australia

1997 Inaugural Exhibition, John Elder Gallery, New York, USA

Art in Glass '97, Editions Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Ledbetter Lusk Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, WA (w/ Frantisek Vizner and Daniel Clayman)

1996 Introductions VII, Lisa Kurts Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee, USA


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Celia Kennedy Gallery, Queenstown

Mastercast, Glass Artist Gallery, Sydney, Australia

On Form, Lopdell house Gallery, Waitakere

SOFA Miami Exposition, Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA

1995 The Vessel Aesthetic, Kavesh Gallery, Ketchum, Idaho, USA

A Powerful Presence: Pilchuck Glass School’s 25 Years, Bumbershoot, Rainier Room at the

Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

1994 Breaking the Mold: New Kilnformed Glass, Heller Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Glass from the Pacific Rim, Art Department Gallery, San Francisco State University, San

Francisco, California, USA

1993 Parriott, Perkins and Robinson, Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition a Navy Pier,

Chicago, Illinois, USA (Kate Elliott Contemporary Glass)

Annual Pilchuck Exhibition, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA

Pilchuck Glass Exhibition, SeaTac Airport, Seattle, Washington, USA

1992 Cribbs, Marioni and Robinson, Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition at Navy Pier,

Chicago, Illinois, USA (Kate Elliott Contemporary Glass)

Contemporary Kilnformed Glass, Contemporary Crafts Centre Portland, Oregon, USA

Glass Now ‘92, Tokyo, Japan

International Directions in Glass, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Treasures of the Underworld, Seville, Spain

1991 The Executive Suite, Crafts Council Gallery, Wellington

New Zealand Glass Review, Compendium Gallery, Auckland

1990 New Zealand Crafts Council, Wellington

1989-91 Australian Kilnformed Glass, touring the USA; Kurland/Summers Gallery, Los Angeles, CA;

Heller Gallery, New York; Habatat Gallery, Detroit, USA

1988 Australian Kilnformed Glass, An International Exhibition, Craft Council Gallery of ACT,

Australia

World Glass Now ‘88, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Hokkaido, Japan

Stones in Glass Houses, Villas Gallery, Wellington

New Zealand Expo Exposition of Craft, Brisbane, Australia

1987 Winstone Biennale, Auckland Museum, Auckland

1986 Phillips Glass Exhibition, Auckland Museum, Auckland

Sunbeam Glassworks, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, Wellington

1983 Glass ‘83, touring New Zealand

1982 Fragile Art, Northern Regional Crafts Council, touring New Zealand

1981 Glass ‘81, Auckland Society of Arts, Auckland

HONORS, AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS, COMMISSIONS, APPOINTMENTS

2009 Installed commissioned Font, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland

2006 Life Time Achievement Award by the Glass Arts Society of America

2006 Waitakere City Arts Laureate Award

2004 2004 Arts Laureate Awarded by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand

2003 Guest speaker Northlands Glass Conference of CGA

2002 Elected recipient of the D.I.N.Z. 'John Britten Award' for contribution to Design

2001 Awarded the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. ( O.N.Z.M)

Guest speaker Conference ‘Transparency in Glass’, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

2000 Faculty; Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, USA



“Treasures from the Underworld,” commission for New Zealand Expo Exhibition, Seville, Spain

1990, 92 93 Guest Faculty; Carrington Polytechnic, Auckland

1990, 92 Guest Faculty; Canberra School of Art, ACT, Australia

1987 Winstone Biennale Award

1986 Phillips Glass Award

Travel Grant to USA, Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council

1984 Phillips Glass Award

1983, 84, 91 Equipment Grant, Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council


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COLLECTIONS

Auckland Museum, Auckland

Bellevue Public Library, Bellevue WA, USA

Corning Museum of Glass, Corning NY, USA

Dowse Gallery, Lower Hutt

Irvin J. Borowsky, Philadelphia, PA

Karen Johnson Boyd, Racine, Wisconsin

Robert McDougal Gallery, Christchurch

Microsoft Corp, Redmond, WA, USA

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

National Museum of New Zealand, Wellington

Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland, Australia

Stadtmuseum, Gottingen, Gemany

Saint Paul Companies, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K.

SELECTED ARTICLES

2010 Wood, D, Ann Robinson: Casting Mistress, Neues Glas, Spring 2010 (1/10),pp 32 - 39

2008 Chappell, Dan, Defining Light and Space, Art News, Spring, pp 57-58 (attached)

2003 Simpson Peter (FOA ENG), An Act of Love, Art New Zealand

2001 Object Lessons,Original Art by Guild Artists, Beauty and Meaning in Art. Guild Publishing,

Madison, U.S.A., pp 22

2001 Klein, Dan Artists In Glass: Late Twentieth Century Masters In Glass Mitchell Beazley Millers,

Octopus Publishing Group, London, England, pp 197-198.

1999 In Review New Glass Review, Corning Museum of Glass,2/00, pp 104 - 111

1998 Edwards, Geoffrey Art Of Glass, Glass in the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria,

National Gallery of Victoria pg 204

1998 Ann Robinson Casting Light,.A Survey of Glass Castings 1981-1997, Dowse Art Museum, Lower

Hutt, New Zealand

1996 Wichert, Geoffrey, Glass, No 65, Winter, pp. 36-39

1994 Kangas, Matthew, Glass, No 55, Spring, pp 51

1996 Layton, Peter, Glass Art, pp. 64, (illus) pp 65.

1993 New Glass Review, Corning Museum of Glass, pp 92.

1993 Sapolin, Donna, Glass Conscienceness Departures, April/May 1993, pp 76-81, (illus) pp 78

1992 Contemporary Kilnformed Glass, Contemporary Crafts Association, Portland, Oregon; pp 64-65

1992/1 Shamroth, Helen, Glass Art in New Zealand Neues Glass Magazine, pp 40-46

1989 Klein, Dan, Glass: A Contemporary Art Rizzoli; pp 208

1989 Australia Kilnformed Glass; Australia Council for the Arts and Kurland/Summers Gallery; pp. 16-17

1988 World Glass Now '88, Hokkaido Museum, Japan

1988 Ioannou, Norris, Australian Studio Glass, pp 80-92

Landscape Bowl (2009)

Documents

ANN ROBINSON