Michael Shepherd was born in Hamilton in 1950 and graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (Honours) from Elam, the School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland in 1979. In 1982 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council travel grant, which he used to study 17th century Dutch painting materials and techniques at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He has employed those techniques in his work, often working from photographs and historical documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shepherd\u2019s meticulously painted works, usually in an understated, subtle palette, explore and depict New Zealand\u2019s history, an interest motivated in him by the experiences of various family members in the world wars. He says that \u2018painting history has become a compulsive activity, just continually trying to reconstruct these long-banished worlds\u2019. He notes the impossibility of definitively recording the past, dependent as records are on personal, thus subjective, recollection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since his first solo exhibition at the Denis Cohn Gallery in 1980, Shepherd has exhibited his paintings throughout New Zealand, and his work has been included in major exhibitions such as  \u201cSouvenirs of Time\u201d a touring exhibition, in 1991; \u201cThe Nervous System\u201d, Govett-Brewster, New Plymouth and City Gallery, Wellington, and \u201cA Very Peculiar Practice\u201d at the City Gallery, Wellington, both in 1995; \u201cDream Collectors \u2013 100 years of New Zealand Art\u201d, the opening exhibition at Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, in 1998; \u201cBright Paradise \u2013 exotic history and sublime artifice\u201d, 1st Auckland Triennial, Auckland Art Gallery, and  \u201cParihaka\u201d, City Gallery, Wellington, both in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005\/2006 \u201cMichael Shepherd The Early Years 1975-1931\u201d was exhibited at the Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui, Whangarei Art Museum and Rotorua Museum of Art and History, and in 2000, the exhibition \u201cStill Lies \u2013 paintings by Michael Shepherd\u201d, was held at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in Christchurch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Shepherd was awarded a M.N.Z.M (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to the Arts in 2008.\u00a0A\u00a0major survey exhibition of his work, curated by Elizabeth Rankin, and titled\u00a0Michael Shepherd: Reinventing History Painting,<\/em>\u00a0was\u00a0exhibited at the Waikato Museum (2019). His work is collected within NZ and internationally, and is held in the collections of Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland Art Gallery and the Christchurch Art Gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LINKS
Auckland Art Gallery<\/a> collection, including the Chartwell Collection works
Michael Shepherd<\/a> works in Christchurch Art Gallery collection
Art New Zealand<\/a> essay by Francis Pound, 1981
Mark Hutchins Gallery<\/a>, Wellington \u2013 The Frame publication, article by Francis Pound \u2013 scroll down to the end of the page
The Big Idea<\/a> \u2013 announcement about Shepherd\u2019s MNZM, June 2008
Interview<\/a> with Michael Shepherd, February 2011, Graeme Harris and Evan Woodruffe
Two Rooms<\/a> Gallery, artist page
Exhibition<\/a> at Two Rooms Gallery,  \u2018The Land of Cockayne\u2019, 2014
Michael Shepherd<\/a>, Milford Galleries Dunedin \u2013 artist page
Christchurch Art Gallery<\/a> Te Puna O Waiwhetu, Michael Shepherd paintings in the collection
Michael Shepherd,<\/a> Jane Sanders ART Agent page<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GALLERY
Two Rooms<\/a>, Auckland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Shepherd was born in Hamilton in 1950 and graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (Honours) from Elam, the School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland in 1979. In 1982 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council travel grant, which he used to study 17th century Dutch painting materials and techniques at … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"yoast_head":"\n