Teuane Tibbo
Kava Ceremony, Fiji, 1967
oil on canvas on board
600 x 755mm
640 x 790mm framed
640 x 790mm framed
Teuane Tibbo 1895 – 1984, Born in Samoa, migrated to Aotearoa in 1945 Teuane Tibbo came late to art making. She was born in Samoa in 1895 and arrived in...
Teuane Tibbo
1895 – 1984, Born in Samoa, migrated to Aotearoa in 1945
Teuane Tibbo came late to art making. She was born in Samoa in 1895 and arrived in Aotearoa in 1945. She had no formal training in art and was in her seventies when she first started painting. Despite this late start, Tibbo produced a significant body of work, painting floral scenes and depictions of island life in a richly colourful pictorial style. In 1964, she became the first Pacific Island artist to have a solo show at a dealer gallery in New Zealand when she showed at Barry Lett’s Uptown Gallery. Tibbo passed away in 1984 and her work has continued to grow in critical esteem posthumously.
Two of Tibbo’s works are included in This Must Be the Place: Kava Ceremony, Fiji (1967) and Garden Flowers I (1976). Collectively, these works demonstrate the distinctive colour scheme, pictorial style, and paint handling that Tibbo is renowned for.
It would be a misnomer to describe these paintings as ‘naïve’. That label has been applied to paintings by untrained artists that use simplistic representation. While Tibbo’s works could be characterised as stylistically simple, they feature sophisticated compositional arrangements that are informed by customary art practices. The appeal of the works is direct – their vibrant colour and amiable content make for enjoyable viewing. Beside this affability, they present a viewer with a window into island life from another era.
1895 – 1984, Born in Samoa, migrated to Aotearoa in 1945
Teuane Tibbo came late to art making. She was born in Samoa in 1895 and arrived in Aotearoa in 1945. She had no formal training in art and was in her seventies when she first started painting. Despite this late start, Tibbo produced a significant body of work, painting floral scenes and depictions of island life in a richly colourful pictorial style. In 1964, she became the first Pacific Island artist to have a solo show at a dealer gallery in New Zealand when she showed at Barry Lett’s Uptown Gallery. Tibbo passed away in 1984 and her work has continued to grow in critical esteem posthumously.
Two of Tibbo’s works are included in This Must Be the Place: Kava Ceremony, Fiji (1967) and Garden Flowers I (1976). Collectively, these works demonstrate the distinctive colour scheme, pictorial style, and paint handling that Tibbo is renowned for.
It would be a misnomer to describe these paintings as ‘naïve’. That label has been applied to paintings by untrained artists that use simplistic representation. While Tibbo’s works could be characterised as stylistically simple, they feature sophisticated compositional arrangements that are informed by customary art practices. The appeal of the works is direct – their vibrant colour and amiable content make for enjoyable viewing. Beside this affability, they present a viewer with a window into island life from another era.