Justin Paton

Justin Paton (born 1972)[1] is a New Zealand writer, art critic and curator, currently based in Sydney, Australia.[2] His book How to Look at a Painting (2005) was adapted into a 12-episode television series by TVNZ in 2011.

Justin Paton
Born1972 (age 50–51)
Occupation
  • Writer
  • art critic
  • curator
NationalityNew Zealander
Alma materUniversity of Canterbury
Notable worksHow to Look at a Painting (2005)
Notable awards

Education

Paton studied art history and English at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.[3]

Arts writer

After university, Paton worked as an art critic for New Zealand newspaper The Press.[3] He was the editor of New Zealand's oldest literary journal, Landfall, from 2000 until 2005.[2]

Paton's book How to Look at a Painting was published in 2005.[4] It was critically well-received, being selected as the Best Art Book of 2005 by both the New Zealand Listener and The Press,[5] and won the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Contemporary Culture.[6]

How to Look at a Painting was adapted into a 12-episode television series by TVNZ, which aired in 2011. Paton presented the show.[7] Kim Knight, reviewing the show for the Sunday Star Times, noted that "among the many things Paton does brilliantly is make art accessible to everyone".[8] Christopher Moore at The Press said Paton is "one of those rare individuals in the art world who can bring an artwork to life, inspiring you to plunge into the artist's imagination; to burrow beneath the surface of the canvas, paper and paint to see what lies beneath".[9]

Paton has also written extensively about artists, including a book about Australian sculptor Ricky Swallow in 2004,[10] and essays about New Zealand painter Kushana Bush,[11] Argentinian sculptor Adrián Villar Rojas,[12] New Zealand artist Ronnie van Hout,[13] and Australian painter Ben Quilty.[14]

In 2012, Paton was the recipient of one of New Zealand's most prestigious literary awards, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship.[15] He spent over six months living and working in Menton, France, where Katherine Mansfield lived and worked for part of her life.[16]

His book De-Building, published in 2012, was the winner of the Judges' Special Award at the 2012 Museums Australia Multimedia & Publication Design Awards, and was shortlisted for the Mary Egan Award for Best Typography at the Publishers' Association of NZ (PANZ) Book Awards 2012.[17][18]

His book McCahon Country, about the works of famous New Zealand painter Colin McCahon, was published in 2019, marking the centenary of McCahon's birth.[19][20] It was long-listed for the Illustrated Non-fiction Award in the 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.[21]

Curator

In 1996–1997, Paton was the guest curator of The Harmony of Opposites, a major touring exhibition of the work of New Zealand artist Don Peebles, led by the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.[22][23] He wrote the text that accompanied the exhibition.[24]

Paton was the curator of contemporary art at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery between 1999 and 2009. In 2009 he was appointed as the Senior Curator of the Christchurch Art Gallery.[25] Paton was the curator of New Zealand's official presentation by Bill Culbert at the 2013 Venice Biennale.[2]

In 2014, Paton moved to Sydney to become the Head Curator of International Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.[12][20]

Selected works
  • Ricky Swallow: Field recordings (2004)
  • How to Look at a Painting (2005)
  • De-Building (2012)
  • McCahon Country (2019)

References
  1. "Paton, Justin (1972–)". trove.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. "Justin Paton". Penguin Books New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. Joyce, Janet (June 2008). "An interview with Justin Paton". CS Arts Magazine. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. Paton, Justin (2005). How to Look at a Painting. Wellington, New Zealand: Awa Press. ISBN 978-0-9582-5388-8.
  5. "Justin Paton". Awa Press. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  6. "Past Winners: 2005". New Zealand Book Awards. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. Palmer, Rebecca (15 March 2011). "Fresh eye for the mysteries of art". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. Knight, Kim (27 March 2011). "Man on a mission". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. Moore, Christopher (15 November 2013). "Sydney's real-life dramatics". The Press. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  10. Paton, Justin (2004). Ricky Swallow: Field Recordings. Fishermans Bend, Victoria: Craftsman House. ISBN 978-0-9751-9651-9. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  11. "The Burning Hours - Kushana Bush". Northern Advocate. 7 April 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. "Justin Paton". Center for Curational Leadership. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  13. "Ronnie van Hout: I've Abandoned Me". Dunedin Art Museum Shop. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  14. Quilty, Ben (2019). Ben Quilty. Australia: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-1437-9594-0. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  15. "Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship". The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  16. "Justin Paton wins 2012 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship". ArtForum. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  17. "De-Building". Christchurch Art Gallery. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  18. "Mary Egan Award for Best Typography Shortlist 2012". Publishers Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  19. "Justin Paton – McCahon Country". Radio New Zealand. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  20. Dunn, Megan (11 December 2019). "A road trip through Colin McCahon's vision of Aotearoa". The Spinoff. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  21. "Longlist 2020". New Zealand Book Awards. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  22. Peebles, Don (1996). Don Peebles: the harmony of opposites : a Robert McDougall Art Gallery touring exhibition. Christchurch: Robert McDougall Art Gallery. OCLC 676835607.
  23. Peebles, Don (1996). Don Peebles : the harmony of opposites (PDF). Paton, Justin., Robert McDougall Art Gallery. Christchurch, New Zealand: Robert McDougall Art Gallery. ISBN 1877161004. OCLC 61571922.
  24. Paton, Justin (1996). Don Peebles - The Harmony of Opposites (PDF). Christchurch, New Zealand: Robert McDougall Art Gallery and Hazard Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-8771-6100-1. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  25. "Paton new curator at gallery". The Press. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
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