Philip Maxwell New Zealand, b. 1972

Philip Maxwell is an established New Zealand painter whose practice explores the relationship between landscape, memory and human intervention through a highly refined language of abstraction. Based in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Maxwell has spent more than three decades developing a body of work grounded in the topography and atmosphere of Otago, particularly the landscapes surrounding Koputai, the Otago Peninsula and Mihiwaka. 

Working primarily in oils on linen Maxwell distils the landscape into softened geometric forms, layered tonal planes and carefully balanced compositions. Hillsides, water, clouds, fence lines and rural structures emerge through processes of reduction and simplification, where representation gives way to suggestion. His paintings inhabit a space between abstraction and observation, relying increasingly on memory and emotional resonance rather than direct depiction. 

Central to Maxwell's work is the tension between the permanence and fluidity of the natural world and the sharper impositions of human presence upon the land. Curves and organic forms contrast with hard edges and architectural interventions, reflecting broader themes of ownership, land use and the layered histories embedded within the environment. 

Maxwell's restrained palette, luminous surfaces and meticulous handling of paint create works that feel contemplative and timeless. While deeply connected to the traditions of New Zealand landscape painting, his practice also draws upon the visual language of modernist abstraction, resulting in paintings that are both formally sophisticated and emotionally grounded.

His work has been exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand and is held in numerous public and private collections including the University of Otago, Dunedin Public Hospital, Greenlane Hospital and Port Otago. Maxwell was the recipient of the 2021 Craigs Investment Partners Aspiring Art Prize Supreme Award and runner-up in 2024.