Justin Boroughs

Born in England in 1952, Justin Boroughs studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland in 1971 under Gretchen Albrecht, Don Binney, and photographer John B Turner.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975.  Boroughs’ is currently head of the Art Department at Auckland Boys’ Grammar School.

Justin Boroughs is highly renowned as a realist landscape painter.  The landscapes he paints are recognisable, however, they always present a point of difference from what is actual.  Using intense colour, altering the effects of light, and manipulating the subject matter, Boroughs’ works portray a heightened reality. He possesses a deeply attuned eye for the regionalist dialogues of differing landscapes and buildings. His paintings resonate as much because of his exclusions as his inclusions; and in this way his work collectively establishes an idealised rhetoric and visual language. Nothing it seems is out of place, even when fiction.

Boroughs’ hand is highly evident in his paintings, through his tight brush work and careful application of paint.  His work is frequently likened to the work of contemporary realist painters Graeme Sydney and Sir Peter Siddell. His realist depiction of localised landscapes also links his work to the tradition of realism, developed in New Zealand by artists such as Christopher Heaphy and Rita Angus.

Boroughs’ paintings are held in major public and corporate collections, including the Manawatu Art Gallery, Telecom New Zealand and Fletcher Challenge.  Private collections are throughout New Zealand and in Australia, USA & United Kingdom.