Art by some of the most renowned 19th century French artists feature in a new exhibition from Te Papa which opens today at the Forrester Gallery in Oamaru.
The show "Gericault to Gauguin: Printmaking in France 1820-1900" includes work by Gericault, Gauguin, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec.
Forrester's exhibitions curator Alice Lake-Hammond said the exhibition illustrated the revival of printmaking that occurred in France in the second half of the 19th century and highlighted the rediscovery of printmaking as a medium for creative expression.
Before this period, printmaking was not considered an art form but rather a means of communication.
In addition to the French masters, the Forrester will be showing a selection of prints from the gallery's permanent collection, demonstrating the continued use of printmaking for creative expression and fine art in Otago.
They included work by artists such as Grahame Sydney, Barry Cleavin, Audrey Bascand, Hilda Edgar and John Mitchell to illustrate the longevity of the medium and its application in the Otago context, Ms Lake-Hammond said.
"The French prints are a real treat to have at the Forrester - a beautiful collection of works, which capture a certain French eloquence. But it has been a pleasure to delve into our own collection to select an equally inspiring group of works from the Otago region, which hold their own quite comfortably alongside the masters."
Both exhibitions run until Sunday, September 30.
