Rita Angus is one of New Zealand’s most iconic artists.
Over the course of her life she produced a remarkable body of drawings, watercolours, and paintings. A committed feminist, and a pacifist, Angus’ work was deeply entwined with her view of the world. In her portraits and landscape paintings, with their distinctive clear colours and flat, graphic style, she created a unique image of 20th-century Aotearoa.
This exhibition was developed in partnership by the Royal Academy of Arts, London and Te Papa.

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Rita Angus, Cass (detail), 1936, oil on canvas on board. © Reproduced courtesy of the Estate of Rita Angus. On loan from Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Rita Angus Art Studio
Get creative with activities inspired by Rita Angus’s artworks, in the Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist art studio.
Experiment with the effects of colour layering, create a portrait using symbols and signs, or pick up a whānau trail and use it to explore the exhibition.
Free, for all ages.

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People in the Rita Angus Art Studio, 2022. Te Papa
Activities
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Other: Audio descriptions for Rita Angus New Zealand Modernist
Audio descriptions for Rita Angus New Zealand Modernist
This audio descriptive introduction to Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist, introduces the immersive first gallery and provides audio descriptions for a selection of paintings in this exhibition.
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Other: A Painter’s Journey: Rita Angus’s Central Otago
A Painter’s Journey: Rita Angus’s Central Otago
This film celebrates Rita Angus’s artistic practice – diving into her painting Central Otago (1953–56/1969).
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Other: Immersive stories: Rita Angus paintings on Google Arts and Culture
Immersive stories: Rita Angus paintings on Google Arts and Culture
Immerse yourself in ten stories about Rita Angus and some of her paintings from our collection on Google Arts and Culture. Learn about her life and thoughts while she was painting in locations around Aotearoa New Zealand.