Award-winning New Zealand children’s book illustrator and author Gavin Bishop is about to have his work immortalised at Te Papa museum.
The museum’s modern art curator, Lizzie Bisley, was in Christchurch to look through his many original works to select what belonged in the vast collection in Wellington.
“Gavin is one of our most important illustrators and has this amazing practice that’s ranged over 40 years of producing these incredible artworks. For me illustrations like Gavin’s are often the first artworks children have contact with in their lives,” Bisley said.
Bishop and Bisley spoke in detail as they looked through his paintings, starting with Bidibidi the discontented sheep.
“That’s the book I cut my teeth on, I had no idea what I was doing when I started on that book, Bishop laughed.
His work has evolved a lot since then, with the New Zealand landscape always the hero.
“I’ve tried to make the stories reflect this part of the world so our kids can look at them and think I can relate to that,” he said.
Bishop has created more than 70 titles over the past four decades, and said he “sometimes look[s] at books I did 40 years ago and I can’t even remember doing them”.
One favourite was Teddy One Eye, based around his own childhood bear.
“This is a teddy bear that I was given when my baby brother was born… I bit its eye off and swallowed it,” he laughed.
The bear was also off to Te Papa as part of the collection.
Te Papa would collate his collection for people to view online, visit in person, or to exhibit either at Te Papa or other museums around the country.
Bisley said they’ll be looked after “for future generations of New Zealander’s to enjoy these beautiful artworks”.
As he parts with some of his lifelong treasures, Bishop said “it’s a tremendous thrill and it’s an honour, it’s a wonderful tribute to the millions of hours I’ve put into these books. It’s terrific”.
