William Hodges 1744-1797: The Art of Exploration

William Hodges 1744-1797: The Art of Exploration

Exhibition Details

'This exhibition will demonstrate that William Hodges has, until now, been the most unjustly neglected British painter of the 18th century,' Sir David Attenborough.

An exhibition of works by the British 18th-century landscape painter, William Hodges, whose career as an artist took him to New Zealand, the South Pacific and India, travelling at different times with Captain Cook and the East India Company.

The exhibition includes portraits of Cook, whom Hodges accompanied on his second voyage (1772-75) aboard the Resolution, and the young Tahitian, Omai, who travelled to England on the same voyage and was the subject of a famous portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It shows how Hodges's originality of style expanded the scope of British landscape painting to include subjects that reflected European exploration across the world.

Hodges's association with Cook is a key theme of the exhibition and illustrates his links with the history of global maritime expansion. The subjects of his paintings of Tahiti, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands were a revelation at the time for audiences in a Europe with no knowledge of the fascinating and unfamiliar scenes and cultures.

Hodges was a central figure in disseminating visual knowledge of the world in the greatest era of European geographical discovery the world has ever seen.

Date
Curated by
Ron Brownson
Location
Main Gallery
Cost
$10 - $12

Related Artworks

View Artwork

Not on display

Family in Dusky Bay, New Zeland (sic)
Family in Dusky Bay, New Zeland (sic)

Daniel Lerpinière William Hodges

Production date
1777
Medium
handcoloured engraving
Size (h x w)
213 x 355 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1961
Accession no
1961/1/2
View Artwork

Not on display

A View in Dusky Bay, New Zealand
A View in Dusky Bay, New Zealand

William Hodges

Production date
1773
Medium
oil on panel
Size (h x w)
810 x 795 x 64 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1961
Accession no
1961/33
View Artwork

Not on display

A View in the Island of Tanna
A View in the Island of Tanna

Noble William Hodges

Production date
Unknown
Medium
engraving
Size (h x w)
197 x 324 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Accession no
U/167
View Artwork

Not on display

Landscape
Landscape

William Hodges

Production date
Unknown
Medium
oil on panel
Size (h x w)
413 x 548 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Accession no
M1979/1
View Artwork

Not on display

Two tigers in a rocky landscape
Two tigers in a rocky landscape

William Hodges Sawrey Gilpin

Production date
circa 1785
Medium
oil on panel
Size (h x w)
940 x 1093 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1957
Accession no
1957/17