Tony Fomison (12 July 1939 – 7 February 1990) was a notable artist in

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 ...

. He was an important post-war visual artist in the country and influenced New Zealand art by incorporating elements of narrative and myth into contemporary art.

Background

Fomison was born 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 Rive ...

and studied at Linwood High School. He studied sculpture at the School of Fine Arts at

Canterbury University The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, where he was taught by Rudi Gopas, and during these early years he continued an interest in archaeology which had begun in high school. He also compiled photographic essays during this period. Fomison began painting in earnest in 1960–61. In 1964, he travelled to England and Spain and lived in the former for three years before returning to Christchurch in 1967. During his time in England, he was hospitalised at

Banstead Hospital Banstead Hospital, also known as Banstead Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital in the village of Belmont, Sutton, adjacent to Banstead. History The hospital was commissioned by the Middlesex Court of Magistrates, as the Third Middlesex County Asyl ...

after succumbing to drug addiction.

Connections with Polynesian Culture

Fomison moved to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, the largest Polynesian city in the world, in 1973. From that time, his work was influenced by Polynesian culture, including attempts to help revive the skill of traditional

Tā moko ' is the permanent marking or " tattoo" as traditionally practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles (the other four are Marquesan, Samoan, Tahitian and Hawaiian). (tattooi ...

tattooing. At around this time he met fellow artist

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 an ...

, with whom he struck up a long close friendship. Fomison was tattooed by Samoan master tattooist Sua Sulu'ape Paulo II with a pe'a, the traditional male tattoo of

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. Only a few Europeans have received the traditional Samoan tattoo.

Prizes

In 1985 Fomison was the inaugural recipient of the

Rita Angus Residency The Rita Angus Residency in Wellington, New Zealand, is an opportunity for artists to live in the former home of Rita Angus, one of New Zealand’s best-known painters, while creating a body of new work. About the Residency The Rita Angus Cottage ...

. Media reports from the time state that he intended to spend his time 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 metr ...

on the residency developing his contacts with the local Samoan community.

Death

Fomison died at Waitangi during the commemorations of the 150th anniversary of the signing of New Zealand's founding document, the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...

References

External links

Tony Fomison
in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Modern painters New Zealand painters 1939 births 1990 deaths People educated at Linwood College {{NewZealand-painter-stub