Barbara Tuck (born 1943) is a New Zealand artist. Her works are held in the collections of the

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

and the

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

Early life

Barbara Tuck was born in 1943 in Hamilton.

Education

Barbara Tuck graduated from

Elam School of Fine Arts The Elam School of Fine Arts, founded by John Edward Elam, is part of the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland. Students study degrees in fine art with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach. The schoo ...

in the mid-1960s. After completing her degree, Tuck put her practice on hold to have children in the late 1960s.

Career

Tuck has exhibited widely within New Zealand, including: * ''Double Doors: an'' ''Artist in Focus'' exhibition at

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

in August 1983, in collaboration with

Gillian Chaplin Gillian Chaplin (born 1948) is a New Zealand photographic artist and curator. Her works are held in the collections of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Biography Chaplin was born in South Africa i ...

. By chance, the two artists discovered they were both making small boxes as a framework for sculptural assemblages. Previously Chaplin had concentrated on photography and Tuck on painting, but in this departure from their usual fields of work they found common ground and began work on a shared installation. About twenty small boxes were treated by each artist, and for the installation they were alternated on a long narrow table. Chairs placed around the outside encouraged people to take their time in contemplating the works. The works referenced the

Surrealists Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

, in particular the boxes of

Joseph Cornell Joseph Cornell (December 24, 1903 – December 29, 1972) was an American visual artist and film-maker, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of Assemblage (art), assemblage. Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde e ...

, but with a more feminine viewpoint. * ''Surface Tension: Ten Artists in the ‘90s exhibition'' at

in 1992, curated by Tina Barton. * ''Necessary Distraction'' featuring 100 works by 20 artists at the

from November 2015 - March 2016, curated by Natasha Conland. * ''In the Vast Emptiness'' at Christchuch Art Gallery in 2016.

References

1943 births Living people New Zealand women artists Elam Art School alumni People from Hamilton, New Zealand {{NewZealand-artist-stub