Bessie Christie
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Elizabeth Froomes Christie (3 August 1904 – 9 March 1983) was a New Zealand painter.


Career

Born in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
on 3 August 1904, Christie trained at the Elam School of Fine Art at
Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
. She taught art at
Takapuna Grammar School Takapuna Grammar School is a state coeducational secondary school located in the suburb of Belmont on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Established in 1927, the school mainly serves the eponymous suburb of Takapuna and the entire Devo ...
between 1935 and 1940. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
she was a driver in the New Zealand Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and her paintings were included in the 1944 Artists in Uniform exhibition. Although Christie did paint some landscapes in oils, she preferred to break with her contemporaries and depict vibrant social scenes, specifically set 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 ...
. Works include: ''Geddes' Stable Yard'' and ''Tobacco Queue, Karangahape Rd, Auckland.'' During her career she was represented by the Auckland Art Gallery.


Exhibitions

Christie exhibited with the Auckland Society of Arts (of which she was a member from 1933) throughout the 1950s, exhibiting alongside A. Lois White, May Smith, Helen Brown, and Frances Hunt. She also exhibited with the
New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the Ass ...
and the Rutland Group, an organisation formed by students from the Elam School of Fine Art.


Death

Christie died in Auckland on 9 March 1983, and her body was cremated at Purewa Crematorium.


References


Further reading

Artist files for Christie are held at:
Angela Morton Collection, Takapuna Library

E. H. McCormick Research Library, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Te Aka Matua Research Library, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Also see
Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Artists
McGahey, Kate (2000) Gilt Edge 1904 births 1983 deaths People from Wellington City Elam Art School alumni New Zealand painters New Zealand women painters New Zealand military personnel of World War II People associated with the Rutland Group University of Auckland alumni People associated with the Auckland Society of Arts {{NewZealand-painter-stub