Malcolm Ross

Malcolm Ross was a sculptor, painter, photographer, cartoonist, and historian who maintained a deliberate distance from the local art scene for most of his career. As a result, his work is not well known, though it has received some critical attention and scholarly analysis in recent years. Ross is acknowledged for his work with Duchampian ideas, for his interest in Māoritanga, and for the queer sensibility present in much of his work. One of the strongest accounts of Ross’s life and art comes from Douglas Wright’s autobiography Ghost dance (2004), described as 'part memoir, part love story', which details much of his early life and the two men’s relationship. Because most of Ross’ paintings reside in private collections, it has been difficult to build a picture of this aspect of his oeuvre. However, Auckland Art Gallery has built up the collection in recent years through acquisitions from Douglas Wright’s and Ron Brownson’s estates, which significantly contributes to the growing appreciation of Ross’s art.