Art and photography books

Books about the national art collection, photography, biography, exhibition catalogues and more.

Book cover showing the title, author and a close up of a brown pottery vase that has short white downward stripes and black horizontal stripes.

Towards Modernism: The Walter Cook Collection at Te Papa

Richly illustrated with over 300 objects, from art pottery to Danish design, this book showcases the stars of the collection while offering an engaging short course in design history.

Book cover for Central Otago Couture with the authors, photographer and title in orange and a photo of a woman in a dress standing in a field.

Central Otago Couture: The Eden Hore Collection

A fascinating record of high-end New Zealand fashion and an enigmatic collector.

Groundwork: The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris

A luscious tribute to an early New Zealand botanical artist, by Michele Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson.

Leslie Adkin: Farmer Photographer

A superb selection of the work of one of New Zealand’s finest early photographers.

A Man Holds a Fish

Haunting portraits by one of New Zealand’s finest photographers.

Dear Colin, Dear Ron: The Selected Letters of Colin McCahon and Ron O’Reilly

A long friendship in art and ideas through letters.

Te Ata o Tū The Shadow of Tūmatauenga: The New Zealand Wars Collections of Te Papa

Accessible, important guide to the taonga relating to the New Zealand wars held by Te Papa.

Flora: Celebrating Our Botanical World

The magnificent plant world of Aotearoa New Zealand in art and object.

Book cover of a stairs in a tunnel made of clay.

Ngā Kaihanga Uku: Māori Clay Artists

A celebration of the revival and mana of Māori ceramic art.

Book cover with a four women dressed in togas leaning over a lily pond.

Through Shaded Glass: Women and photography in Aotearoa New Zealand 1860–1960

Shining the light on New Zealand’s women photographers.

Tatau: Sāmoan Tattoo, New Zealand Art, Global Culture

The story of Sāmoan tattoo art and the work of Su‘a Sulu‘ape Paulo II.

Tiny Statements: A social history of Aotearoa New Zealand in badges

The words and symbols we’ve worn. This small book with a big heart delves into Te Papa’s collections of over 1600 badges to examine how New Zealanders have used badges to join, belong, resist, defy and celebrate.

Badges of Aotearoa New Zealand Poster

Based on collections featured in the book ‘Tiny Statements: A Social History of Aotearoa New Zealand in Badges’, this beautiful, decorative poster of a century’s worth of badge designs.

Robin White: Something is Happening Here

Major survey of the 50-year career of one of New Zealand’s best-loved artists, Robin White.

Dogs in Early New Zealand Photographs

Adorable and sometimes surprising historic images of New Zealand dogs and their owners.

Ngā Tai Whakarongorua | Encounters

Accessible, informative guide to one of Te Papa’s most popular permanent art exhibitions

Dressed: Fashionable dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910

When crinolines, bustles and ostrich feathers were the height of colonial fashion – from ball gowns and riding habits to tea gowns and dresses worn for presentation to Queen Victoria.

Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life

Revised edition of the award-winning biography of one of New Zealand's most famous women artists.

Railways Studios: How a Government Design Studio Helped Build New Zealand

A definitive illustrated history of the graphic work of the railways studios.

Nature — Stilled

Stunning photographs of remarkable natural history specimens from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Protest Tautohetohe: Objects of Resistance, Persistence and Defiance

An illustrated history of protest and activism in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of Making in New Zealand and the Wider Moana Oceania

A landmark publication that takes another look at craft and its broader cultural role.

Whatu Kākahu | Māori Cloaks (Second Edition)

A celebration of the science and art of Māori weaving, focused on the largest collection of Māori cloaks in the world.

New Zealand Art at Te Papa

A survey of Te Papa’s treasure trove of New Zealand art

Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing

A beautifully designed and richly illustrated retelling of the unique and powerful history of Sāmoan tattooing, from 3,000 years ago to modern practices.

Ten x Ten: Art at Te Papa

One hundred of the best-loved works in the national art collection at Te Papa

The New Zealand Art Activity Book (New Edition)

100+ art activities based on the collection of Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum and gallery

The Fishes of New Zealand Poster

Reminiscent of the iconic fish 'n' chip shop poster, this poster from Te Papa Press features a selection of 222 fishes from the landmark 4-volume publication The Fishes of New Zealand.

Buller’s Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans (New Edition)

New Zealand's best-loved birds come alive in luminous colour in Buller’s Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans.

Buller’s Birds of New Zealand Poster

This magnificent illustration from the 1900s, entitled Native Birds of New Zealand by William Shaw Diedrich Schmidt, has been lovingly reproduced by Te Papa Press to accompany Buller’s Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans.