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Robin Langford Kay (23 June 1919 – 7 April 2017) was a New Zealand artist and historian.


Biography

Born in 1919 in Waipawa, Kay spent in early years in
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 / ...
in the care of his aunt due to his mother's poor health. In 1928, the family moved to Napier. He was educated at Gisborne Boys High School and spent a year at Christ's College in Christchurch. He also studied art part-time at Canterbury University College of Art. He then moved to the Manawatu taking up employment as a cadet journalist in
Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
. 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 ...
Kay served as a war artist with the
2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
in the Middle East and Italy, was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant in 1944, and later joined the war history staff under Major General Sir
Howard Kippenberger Major General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, (28 January 1897 – 5 May 1957), known as "Kip", was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces who served in the First and Second World Wars. Born in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, Kippen ...
. He graduated from
Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in 1949. As well as contributing to the ''
Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45 The ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45'' is a 48-volume series published by the War History Branch (and its successors) of the Department of Internal Affairs which covered New Zealand involvement in the Second Wor ...
''—writing the history of 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion and ''Italy Volume II: From Cassino to Trieste''—Kay wrote extensively on New Zealand military history and external relations. He also co-authored, with Tony Eden, a history of 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 ...
(NZAFA) in 1983. Kay became an artist member of the NZAFA in 1938, going on to exhibit over 450 works. He served on the Academy Council from 1960 to 1983, and in 1975 he was made a life member of the NZAFA. In 2007, Kay received the Governor General's Award from the NZAFA and became a Fellow of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Kay was a member of Watercolour New Zealand since it was founded in 1975. Between 1962 and 1970, he won 1st prize, 2nd prize and six merit awards for watercolour in the National Bank Art Awards. His paintings have been purchased by the National Art Gallery, Archives New Zealand, the Turnbull Library, US President Lyndon B. Johnson, Prime Minister Keith Holyoake and former Governor-Generals. In the
2008 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and a ...
, Kay was appointed a
Companion 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 (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
for services to art and military history. Kay died on 7 April 2017. Paintings by Kay are held in public collections, including at
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 ...
, the
Alexander Turnbull Library The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...
, and the National Collection of War Art at
Archives New Zealand Archives New Zealand (Māori: ''Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga'') is New Zealand's national archive and the official guardian of its public archives. As the government's recordkeeping authority, it administers the Public Records Act 2005 and ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Robin 1919 births 2017 deaths People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand war artists New Zealand painters Victoria University of Wellington alumni Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand historians Historians of World War II World War II artists