Donald Sinclair Driver (1930–2011) was a New Zealand artist born in Hastings. Driver was self-taught and worked in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, collage and assemblage. His work was often recognized for its use of everyday or vernacular materials. Driver is associated with

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, having moved there with his family in 1944. He was educated at New Plymouth Boys’ High School and worked as a dental technician during the 1940s and 1950s before a lengthy period working at the

Govett-Brewster Art Gallery The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is a contemporary art museum at New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. The gallery receives core funding from the New Plymouth District Council. Govett-Brewster is recognised internationally for contemporary art. H ...

(1969 to 1992). His 1966 mural commemorating the 1933 trans-Tasman flight of

Charles Kingsford-Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...

featured at New Plymouth airport from 1967 to 2019. Driver's sculpture ''Cats'' was installed in New Plymouth's Pukekura Park during the 1960s. In 2013 a replica of the work was installed in its place. Driver's work often attracted controversy. In 1967 his sculpture ''Magician'' was removed from the New Plymouth public library one of the library committee complaining that, “the real trouble with the work is that it could not be ignored.”` In 1981 the National Art Gallery in Wellington commissioned Driver to produce an installation. The resulting work, ''Ritual'' (1982), consists of ten 44-gallon drums topped by children's dolls with goat-skull heads holding pitchforks, all mounted on a cart. The work attracted criticism for its bad taste and embrace of the occult. In 1983 following its own display of the work, the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth tried to acquire ''Ritual'' for its collection. The acquisition proposal met stern opposition from civic council politicians who objected to the offensive nature of the work and ultimately failed. ''Ritual'' was subsequently acquired in 1989 by the National Art Gallery (now the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa 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 ...

). At the time National Art Gallery curator Robert Leonard described ''Ritual'' as "one of the most controversial and despised works of New Zealand art history". In 2013 filmmakers Paul Judge and Bridget Sutherland produced the documentary ''Don Driver: Magician''.

Collections

Don Driver's work is held in public collections throughout New Zealand. * Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington * Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth * Auckland Art Gallery * Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui * Dunedin Public Art Gallery

Solo exhibitions

* 1999 ''With Spirit: Don Driver a retrospective 1965 - 1998'', Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth * 1997 ''Driver Works from the Barr Collection'', Dunedin Public Art Gallery * 1996 ''Circular Planes'', Loppdell House Gallery, Auckland * 1994 ''Sculpture, Hangings and Collage'', Dick Bett Gallery, Hobart * 1993 ''Don Driver in the Round'', Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui * 1993 ''From the Last Ten Years'', Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt * 1988 ''Boxes,'' Wellington City Art Gallery * 1988 ''Fifteen Years'', Centre for Contemporary Art, Hamilton * 1987 New Collages, Taranaki Museum, New Plymouth * 1986 ''Driver: Works from the National Collection'', National Art Gallery, Wellington * 1979 ''Don Driver: 1965-1978'', Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth * 1977 ''Don Driver: 1971-1977'', Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth

Group exhibitions

* 2013 ''The Obstinate Object'', City Gallery Wellington * 1997 ''Sharp & Shiny'', Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth * 1987 ''When Art Hits the Headlines'', National Art Gallery, Wellington * 1983 ''Installation'' ''Art'', Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth * 1978 ''

Mildura Sculpture Triennial The Mildura Sculpture Triennials took place between 1961 and 1988. Inaugurated in 1961 as the Mildara Prize for Sculpture sponsored by the Mildara Winery, the next event was renamed the Mildura Sculpture Triennial. It was the first event in Austr ...

,'' Mildura, Victoria * 1971 ''Ten Big Paintings,'' Auckland City Art Gallery * 1969 ''International Biennial'', Tokyo * 1951 ''Rutland Group'', Auckland City Art Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Driver, Don 1930 births 2011 deaths People from Taranaki 20th-century New Zealand artists 20th-century New Zealand male artists