Urewera mural, 1975

Record number
cm001411
Title

Urewera mural

Date
1975
Medium
synthetic polymer paint
Support
3 unstretched canvases
Dimensions
each canvas: 2158 x 1820 mm
overall: 2158 x 5460 mm
Inscriptions

1: COLIN McCAHON. MARCH-JULY, 1975. / 'AT THE BOUNDARY CAN I FORBEAR / FROM TURNING BACK MY HEAD.' (brushpoint, b.l.)

Extended inscriptions

1: KO MAUNGAPOHATU
TE MAUNGA
KO TUHOE
TE IWI
(u.l.-c.)
TOI / [illegible] (l.l.)

3: TE KOOTI / TE TURUKI (t.l.)
KENANA / RUA / HEPETIRA / PROPHET / [illegible] (t.r.)
OUR / [illegible] / INHERITANCE
COMES / FROM
TOI / [illegible] POTIKI / [illegible]
OUR PRESTIGE / FROM / TUHOE (c.l.-c.r.)

Exhibition history

1999 The McCahon Room: Urewera Mural
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Auckland
20/3/1999 - 22/5/1999

1999 Nga Tuhono Tupuna: Urewera mural and Parihaka triptych
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
New Plymouth
7/8/1999 - 26/10/1999

1999 Colin McCahon: A View from Urewera
City Gallery Wellington
Wellington
6/11/1999 - 13/1/2000

2008 In Shifting Light
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Auckland
11/10/2008 - 12/4/2009

2011 Colin McCahon: Story of a Mural
Tauranga Art Gallery
Tauranga
26/3/2011 - 10/7/2011

Notes

The mural was commissioned by the Urewera National Park Board for the Waikaremoana Visitor Centre at Aniwaniwa, designed by architect, John Scott. McCahon was required by the Park Board to make some alterations to the text of the painting. The mural was stolen from the Visitor Centre in 1997, but subsequently recovered. The painting was moved to Te Kura Whare, Tūhoe at Tāneatua in 2015. The Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre was demolished in 2016.