Event detail
Join us for a New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) tour for Deaf visitors through Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith. This 90 minute tour will be led by Deaf artist Abbie Twiss, with supporting interpretation by Platform Interpreting NZ, offering an accessible introduction to Picasso’s art through the eyes of fashion designer Paul Smith.
Encounter the Blue and Rose periods, Cubism, portraits and more in the first solo exhibition of Picasso’s work in Aotearoa New Zealand in more than 30 years. Bringing together outstanding works from the Musée national Picasso–Paris in a special collaboration with legendary British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, the exhibition unfolds across atmospheric rooms that draw on the colours, shapes, patterns and textures of Picasso's artworks. Sir Paul experiments with light, colour, shape, feeling and his Signature Stripe reimagining how we experience the artworks.
Where to meet
Please meet in the main Gallery foyer between 1:45pm and 2pm. The group will be taken for the tour with Abbie and the interpreter from here.
Pricing
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Adults (New Zealanders): $30
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Adults (International tourists): $40
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Members: Free
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Seniors and Community Card holders: $27
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Students (with student ID): $21
Bookings for the NZSL tour are essential and limited to 15 people. Your booking also gives us a way to contact you in case of any changes to the tour date or time.
Before you visit
If this is your first time visiting the Gallery, please watch our NZSL Welcome video.
About the artist
Abbie Twiss
Abbie Twiss has worked as an artist, art teacher, curator and interpreter across Melbourne and Aotearoa. Raised in a creative Auckland household, she was surrounded by art from an early age, including the work of her father, sculptor Greer Twiss, whose drawings and sculptures helped shape her visual understanding of the world. Comics, newspapers, books and pop culture imagery also became important influences, informing her interest in narrative, identity, politics and consumer culture.
Twiss studied Design at Carrington Polytechnic, then graduated from the University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts in 1998 with a BFA majoring in painting. She has exhibited regularly since 1994 and works across mixed media, painting, illustration, portraiture, design, signwriting, sculpture and recycled materials. Her practice often explores memory, Deaf identity, social experience and the strangeness of everyday life. Twiss has also completed commissioned works, including a large mural in 2013.
Interpreting support
Platform Interpreting NZ
Platform Interpreting NZ is a leading Aotearoa company dedicated to opening the arts to Deaf audiences through high-quality New Zealand Sign Language access. Winners of the 2026 and 2024 NZSL Accessibility Award, the organisation works nationwide with local, national and international partners across theatre, music, festivals, galleries, film, television, conferences and forums. In 2025, its team interpreted more than 90 events across eight regions and online, spanning eight languages. Guided by an ethos of inclusion, cultural connection and audience experience, Platform Interpreting NZ brings together performance interpreters, Deaf consultants and NZSL specialists to make live events welcoming, memorable and accessible.
Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith
10 Oct 2026 - 1 Feb 2027
Tickets required
Open Late
19 Nov 2026
5:30pm to 9:30pm
Free
Kids and whānau festival
17 Oct 2026
10am to 5pm
Free