4 Dec 2024

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Deep dive into the fascinating history of linocut printmaking, with a new exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū opening on Saturday.

Drawing its title from Count Basie’s 1937 jazz song, One O’clock Jump: British Linocuts from the Jazz Age conjures a sense of nostalgia, says Curator Peter Vangioni.

In the 1920s, linocut (also known as lino print or linoleum) emerged as a new printmaking medium, with images carved into a linoleum matrix rather than wood.

“Those who enjoyed last year's Ink on Paper, featuring Aotearoa printmaking artists, will find this exhibition equally captivating, with its focus on the rise of linocut art in Britain,” Mr Vangioni says.

“Its popularity gained momentum due to the pioneering influence of artist Claude Flight. From 1929, Flight began organising annual linocut exhibitions at London’s Redfern Gallery, which proved incredibly popular. He also taught linocutting at the progressive Grosvenor School of Modern Art, between 1926 and 1930.

“Fellow artists and teachers at the school, Sybil Andrews and Cyril Power, attended Flight’s classes and quickly joined the realm of pioneering linocut printmakers of the day. Their work features prominently in One O’clock Jump,” Mr Vangioni says.

“Early works often depicted everyday subjects and settings, such as sport and agricultural activities or modern cityscapes and speeding motor vehicles. Stylistic imagery shaped by Futurism and Cubism influences brought these ‘snapshots’ to life, with flowing forms, bold shapes and repeated patterns creating a sense of motion and energy.

“In Andrews’ Speedway and Tillers of the Soil, diagonal formations amplify the speed and power of the trios of motorcyclists and horses, while curved forms dominate in Power’s The Tube Station.

“Every artist featured in One O’clock Jump has a story that brought them into this special era of art, including three New Zealand artists – Rhona Haszard, Leslie Greener and Frank Weitzel – who all exhibited in the 2nd Annual British Linocut Exhibition in 1930 alongside Flight, Andrews, Power and many more artists. The stories of some artists, like Anne Henderson, we’ve only just unearthed, which has been fascinating,” Mr Vangioni says.

There are around 65 works in the exhibition, curated from the Gallery’s Collection, Te Papa, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Auckland Art Gallery and a private collection. 

“Extraordinarily, all but five were gifted from one man – Rex Nan Kivell.”

Born in Christchurch in 1898 and raised in New Brighton, Kivell became one of the most successful art dealers in London, running the prestigious Redfern Gallery in Mayfair from the mid-1920s to his death in 1977. Over a lifetime of collecting and dealing, Kivell made many spectacular gifts, including in 1953, when he donated 1300 British modernist prints (including linocuts) to all four of New Zealand’s major metropolitan art galleries.

One O’clock Jump: British Linocuts from the Jazz Age opens at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū on 7 December 2024 and closes on 7 May 2025.

Image credits

  • Image 1: Sybil Andrew Tillers of the soil 1934. Colour linocut. Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, gift of Rex Nan Kivall, 1953. © Estate of Sybil Andrews, Glenbow, Calgary, Alberta
  • Image 2: Cyril Power The Tube Station c. 1932. Linocut. Collection of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Rex Nan Kivell, 1953
  • Image 3: Sybil Andrew Speedway 1934. Colour linocut. Collection of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, gift of Rex Nan Kivell, 1953. © Estate of Sybil Andrews, Glenbow, Calgary, Alberta