Army artist shares rich history of Kiwis in uniform

The largest collection of the current Army Artist’s works to be shown to the public will be on display at Canterbury Museum from October 8.

Within the Ranks: One Army, Many Faces showcases more than 70 paintings and sculptures by Captain Matt Gauldie, New Zealand’s official Army Artist since 2005.

The exhibition will run for six months, offering an innovative and valuable collection of art, some never displayed before, linking the contemporary New Zealand Army to its past and developing the tradition begun in 1918.

“We have an Army artist to capture the operations, people, culture and significant events of the New Zealand Army,” says Chief of Army, Major General Rhys Jones. “Captain Gauldie’s artwork shows a side to the New Zealand Army life that many people would never otherwise see and allows New Zealanders to share the rich history of Kiwis in uniform.”

Since his appointment, Captain Gauldie has trained, lived, patrolled and worked with soldiers, helping to make his paintings so vivid and real.

“Whilst Captain Gauldie’s rank was given to him as an honorary rank, he decided he wanted to experience the reality of being a soldier,” says Major General Jones. “He has undertaken basic training at Waiouru Military Camp and deployed alongside his comrades to both the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. Like the men and women depicted in his works, Captain Gauldie is also a soldier and an officer.”

Captain Gauldie’s artwork provides a memorial in our nation’s cultural heritage, and his ongoing mission is to capture and define the unique culture of the New Zealand Army.