Philip Spencer Trusttum (born 9 June 1940) is a leading New Zealand figurative expressionist artist. His works are usually large-scale, energetic, and colourful works on unstretched canvas. Trusttum was born in

Raetihi Raetihi, a small town in the center of New Zealand's North Island, is located at the junction of State Highways 4 and 49 in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It lies in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, 11 kilometres west ...

, in the central North Island, in 1940 to William and Katherine Trusttum. His father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

lay preacher, but he became disillusioned with his religious work and in 1945 the Trusttum family left for

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, where Philip attended Waimairi School. The family moved to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1948, and again to

Rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urba ...

in 1955 and to nearby

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

in 1957. Philip Trusttum's interest in art was kindled in Oxford, but did not seriously study the subject until he was 20, at which time he was accepted into the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts. Here, he was taught by Rudolf Gopas, who was to prove a strong influence on the young artist, and through him became interested in

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

. He was also to become a member of

The Group The Group may refer to: Film and television * ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 * ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television * ''The Group ...

an influential group of Canterbury artists whose members included

Colin McCahon Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a prominent New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston and ...

Toss Woollaston Sir Mountford Tosswill "Toss" Woollaston (11 April 1910 – 30 August 1998) was a New Zealand artist. He is regarded as one of the most important New Zealand painters of the 20th century. Life Born in Toko, Taranaki in 1910, Woollaston attended ...

, and

Doris Lusk Doris More Lusk (5 May 1916 – 14 April 1990) was a New Zealand painter, potter, art teacher, and university lecturer. In 1990 she was posthumously awarded the Governor General Art Award in recognition of her artistic career and contributions. ...

. Trusttum graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts in 1965. In 1967, Trusttum was awarded a

Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council 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 ...

scholarship for travel to develop his practice, though his initial overseas trip, to Australia, was met with disaster when many of his finished canvases were damaged in transit. Since then his travels have taken him to both North America and Europe. Since the early 1970s Trusttum's work has largely been inspired by everyday life experiences often worked into a semi-abstract form. His subject matter has ranged from house renovation to tennis, horses to Japanese masks. In 1984, Trusttum participated in ANZART at the Edinburgh Arts Festival. He has shown in Sydney, New York, and Melbourne, as well as in all New Zealand's main centres. In 2000 he became only the second New Zealand artist to be awarded the prestigious Pollock Krasner Foundation grant. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Trusttum was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to art.

Notes

References

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External links

Trusttum's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trusttum, Philip 1940 births Living people New Zealand painters People from Raetihi People from Christchurch Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit People associated with The Group (New Zealand art)