The Robertson Gift is one of the most significant gifts in the Gallery's history. Comprising 15 works by major European artists of the modern era, it was promised to the Gallery through its Foundation in 2009 by New York art collectors and philanthropists Julian Robertson (1932–2022) and Josie Robertson (1943–2010) and became part of the Gallery’s permanent collection in 2023.
The couple divided their lives between New York and Aotearoa New Zealand after their first visit to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in 1978–1979. The Robertsons' extraordinary gift acknowledges the lasting connections they formed with Aotearoa New Zealand and their passion for modern art.
The gift includes works by Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dalí, André Derain, Henri Fantin-Latour, Paul Gauguin, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso. Dating from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, the gift has significantly expanded the Gallery’s ability to represent the story of modern art.
The arrival of the gift to the Gallery’s permanent collection was celebrated in the exhibition Paths through Modernity: The Robertson Gift, on display from February 2024 to February 2026. Works from the Robertson Gift are being lent to Shepparton Art Museum in Australia for the exhibition Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, presented from 23 May to 20 September 2026.
The next presentation of works from the collection at Auckland Art Gallery will be the two Picasso works, Mère aux enfants à l’orange (Mother and children with an orange), Femme à la résille (Woman in a hairnet) and Georges Braques' La Tasse in Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith, opening 10 October 2026.
Drawn from a private collection focused largely on modernist works, the gift was selected by the Gallery’s then Director Chris Saines with assistance from Senior Curator Mackelvie Collection, International Art Mary Kisler.
The Robertson Gift has a long history with Auckland audiences. In 2006, the Gallery presented an exhibition of 12 works from the Julian and Josie Robertson collection, six of which are included in the gift. The strong response to that exhibition, particularly from younger visitors, had a profound and lasting effect on the Robertsons and was a key factor in their decision to make the gift. Works from the collection were later exhibited again in 2009 and in 2011, when The Julian and Josie Robertson Promised Gift was presented from 3 September to 30 October to celebrate the Gallery’s reopening.
At the time of the announcement of their gift, the Robertsons said: 'We have had a lifelong love affair with New Zealand. We love Auckland. And we love these pictures. That's why we were so pleased when we brought the works to New Zealand and New Zealanders seemed to enjoy them as much as we do. Frankly, bringing the pictures was probably the most appreciated thing we have ever done. We are delighted to be able to make this gift.'