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Bessie Christie

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Bessie Christie
Born
Elizabeth Froomes Christie

(1904-08-03)3 August 1904
Wellington, New Zealand
Died9 March 1983(1983-03-09) (aged 78)
Auckland, New Zealand
EducationElam School of Fine Art
Known forPainting

Elizabeth Froomes Christie (3 August 1904 – 9 March 1983) was a New Zealand painter.[1][2]

Career

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Born in Wellington on 3 August 1904,[1][3] Christie trained at the Elam School of Fine Art at Auckland University College.[4] She taught art at Takapuna Grammar School between 1935 and 1940.[5]

During World War II she was a driver in the New Zealand Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and her paintings were included in the 1944 Artists in Uniform exhibition.[5][6]

Although Christie did paint some landscapes in oils,[4] she preferred to break with her contemporaries and depict vibrant social scenes, specifically set in Auckland.[5] Works include: Geddes' Stable Yard[4] and Tobacco Queue, Karangahape Rd, Auckland.[5]

During her career she was represented by the Auckland Art Gallery.[4]

Exhibitions

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Christie exhibited with the Auckland Society of Arts (of which she was a member from 1933)[5][7] throughout the 1950s, exhibiting alongside A. Lois White, May Smith, Helen Brown, and Frances Hunt.[5]

She also exhibited with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and the Rutland Group, an organisation formed by students from the Elam School of Fine Art.[8]

Death

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Christie died in Auckland on 9 March 1983, and her body was cremated at Purewa Crematorium.[1][9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Christie, Bessie". Find New Zealand artists: a database of artist names. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Bessie Christie". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Birth search: registration number 1904/10386". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "Bessie Christie". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Tobacco Queue, Karangahape Rd, Auckland". www.fletchercollection.co.nz. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  6. ^ "New Zealand artists in uniform: exhibition of paintings and drawings". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Artists exhibited with Auckland Society of Arts". Find New Zealand artists: a database of artist names. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Artists exhibited with Rutland Group". Find New Zealand artists: a database of artist names. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Burial & cremation details". Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium. Retrieved 20 September 2017.

Further reading

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Artist files for Christie are held at:

Also see: Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Artists McGahey, Kate (2000) Gilt Edge