Bergman Gallery is an international

commercial art gallery An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells Work of art, works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and build ...

with an original gallery in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

, and a second gallery in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The gallery was first established in 2016 by Ben Bergman in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Bergman Gallery represents and has represented many significant international artists from New Zealand, Cook Islands and Australia, including

Fatu Feu'u Fatu Akelei Feu'u (born 1946) is a noted Samoan painter from the village of Poutasi in the district of Falealili in Samoa. He has established a reputation as the elder statesman of Pacific art in New Zealand. Biography Feu'u emigrated to Ne ...

Luise Fong Luise Fong (born 1964) is a Malaysian-born New Zealand artist. Her work is in the permanent collection of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Fong was born in Sandakan, Malaysia in 1964 and moved to New Zealand as a child. In 1983 she began studyi ...

Andy Leleisi'uao Andy Leleisi’uao (b. 1969) is a New Zealand artist of Samoan heritage known for his modern and post-modern Pacific paintings and art. He was paramount winner at the 26th annual Wallace Art Awards in 2017 and awarded a Senior Pacific Artist Awa ...

, Reuben Paterson,

Michel Tuffery Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery (born 27 May 1966) is a New Zealand artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent. He is one of New Zealand's most well known artists and his work is held in many art collections in New Zealand and around ...

Billy Apple Billy Apple (born Barrie Bates; 31 December 19356 September 2021) was a New Zealand/USA artist, whose work is associated with the British and New York schools of pop art in the 1960s and NY's Conceptual Art movement in the 1970s. He worked alo ...

Mahiriki Tangaroa Mahiriki Tangaroa (born 1973) is a New Zealand-born Cook Islands photographer and painter. She is a former director of the Cook Islands National Museum. She is recognised as a leading contemporary Cook Islands artist, and her work is regularly exhib ...

, Sylvia Marsters, Benjamin Work, Lucas Grogan, Luke Thurgate and Telly Tuita.

History

Bergman Gallery was previously known as BCA Gallery in Rarotonga, Cook Islands between 2001-2015, and during 2016 it was rebranded into Bergman Gallery under director Ben Bergman. After participated in the past five Auckland Art Fairs, Bergman Gallery director felt there was a niche in the market for Contemporary Pacific art and decided to open a second gallery in Auckland, New Zealand in 2022. Bergman Gallery in Auckland, New Zealand is situated on

Karangahape Road Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flight of resident ...

, and was officially opened by Caren Rangi ONZM, Chair of

Arts Council of New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

. There was also a delegation from the Cook Islands attended the official opening with the Minister of Cultural Development, George Maggie Angene, Cultural Development Secretary, Anthony Turua and Cook Islands Consular Officer, Keu Mataroa.

Present

Bergman Gallery represents both emerging and established artists, and has since expanded to show New Zealand Asian art and art by LGBTI+ artists from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and New Zealand. Through their constant and varied exhibitions in both Rarotonga, Cook Islands and Auckland, New Zealand, Bergman Gallery also provides a forum for contemporary art on both the local and international scene and regularly participates in Auckland Art Fair (now Aotearoa Art Fair), as well as VOLTA New York, Tokyo International Art Fair, and European Cultural Centre Italy, ''Personal Structures'', coinciding

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. Bergman Gallery's recent exhibitions included works by notable artists:

, Reuben Paterson, Tungane Broadbent, and

Represented artists

* Louie Bretaña * Tungane Broadbent *

Ian George Ian Gordon Combe George (12 August 1934 – 28 January 2019) was an Australian Anglican bishop. He was the third Archbishop of Adelaide and Metropolitan of South Australia from 1991 to 2004. Early life and education George was educated at ...

* Joan Gragg * Lucas Grogan * Nina Oberg Humphries *

* Rhea Maheshwari * Sylvia Marsters * Tanja McMillan (Misery) * Reuben Paterson * Raymond Sagapolutele *

* Luke Thurgate * Telly Tuita * Benjamin Work

References

External links

Official website
{{Karangahape Art museums and galleries in Auckland Arts in the Cook Islands Avarua Tourist attractions in Auckland Auckland CBD Buildings and structures in the Cook Islands New Zealand art dealers Art galleries in New Zealand Art museums and galleries in New Zealand Karangahape