Exhibition Opening: Philip Clairmont | Windows

Gow Langsford invites you to join us on Tuesday 23 September from 5-7pm for the opening night of Philip Clairmont Windows at our Auckland City Gallery.

This exhibition considers the recurring presence of the window in the work of Philip Clairmont (1949–1984), not as a subject alone, but as a persistent and evolving motif: architectural, psychological, symbolic. Long associated with the charged interiors, mirrors, and wardrobes that defined his early breakthroughs, Clairmont’s window works open another kind of space. They offer views both outward, inward and into rooms, colour, memory, and states of mind.

Spanning the full arc of his brief, intense 12-year career, Windows brings together a focused body of paintings, drawings, prints, and archival fragments. It highlights some of Clairmont’s most luminous and lyrical late works, many never before shown publicly, alongside early explorations and related forms. These are works rich in colour and gesture, often suffused with a hard-won clarity, at times hovering between resplendence and unease.

We are honoured to welcome acclaimed author and biographer Martin Edmond to open Windows. Edmond is one of Aotearoa’s respected literary voices, known for his work across memoir, biography, and art history. He was a friend of Philip Clairmont and is the author of the biography The Resurrection of Philip Clairmont, a vivid, deeply personal portrait of the artist and his world.

Edmond’s unique perspective, both as a writer and as someone who knew Clairmont, brings rare insight into the life and legacy of this singular New Zealand painter. His opening remarks will reflect on Clairmont’s visionary practice, the enduring power of his work, and the significance of this exhibition.

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