Sir Peter Siddell New Zealand, 1935-2011

Works
  • Sir Peter Siddell, Scanlan Street, 2009
    Sir Peter Siddell
    Scanlan Street, 2009
    Screenprint
    52 x 62 cm
    Edition 10/16
    Signed & dated 2009
  • Sir Peter Siddell, Untitled, 1983
    Sir Peter Siddell
    Untitled, 1983
    Oil on board
    90 x 120 cm
    Signed & dated 1983
  • Sir Peter Siddell, 82 Clonbern Road, Remuera, 1981
    Sir Peter Siddell
    82 Clonbern Road, Remuera, 1981
    Oil on board
    60.4 x 44 cm
    Signed & dated 1981
  • Sir Peter Siddell, The Customhouse, Auckland, 1975
    Sir Peter Siddell
    The Customhouse, Auckland, 1975
    Acrylic on board
    78 x 71 cm
    Signed & dated 1975
  • Sir Peter Siddell, Plateau, 1999
    Sir Peter Siddell
    Plateau, 1999
    Oil on canvas
    62 x 87 cm
    Signed & dated 1999
  • Sir Peter Siddell, Western Window, 1987
    Sir Peter Siddell
    Western Window, 1987
    Acrylic on board
    60 x 44.5 cm
    Signed & dated 1987 lower left
  • Sir Peter Siddell, Evensong 2, 2009
    Sir Peter Siddell
    Evensong 2, 2009
    Oil on canvas
    90 x 159 cm
    Signed & dated 2009
Biography
Sir Peter Siddell
As one of New Zealand’s most prominent realist painters, Sir Peter Siddell was perhaps best-known for his unpopulated cityscapes which appear familiar, yet are not identifiable. He drew together different elements from a variety of sources to create timeless images of neighbourhoods that look uninhabited despite there being evidence of earlier human presence. These cities are clean, tidy, carless and unpeopled. The houses’ interiors, seen through clean windows, are empty. The presence of people is implied by such devices as a door left open, or a view that is placed immediately in front of the viewer. It is as if all the inhabitants of that city or neighbourhood have fled, leaving their buildings in perfect condition. 
 
While his works appear to be records of actual places, most of Siddell’s paintings have a subjective component. Memory association and invention play roles in those compositions.
 
In her 1994 essay published in From the Isthmus, Julie Roberts described Siddell’s work as such:

“The predominance of the urban image in his oeuvre sets Siddell apart from many of his contemporaries. The landscape has tended to dominate New Zealand painting and although the unique topography of this country is an essential component of his work, Siddell subordinates the landscape to the city. Or more correctly perhaps, he consistently juxtaposes the city with the land. Nature and human habitation co-exist.’

In 1991 Siddell was awarded the Queens Service Order in the New Years Honours as a testament to his services in the Arts and in January 2008 he was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM).
His paintings are included in the collections of every major gallery in New Zealand including the Auckland City Art Gallery (4 works) the National Gallery (3 works) and also the McDougall, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Waikato Art Gallery and the Suter Art Gallery in Nelson.
 
Siddell’s work is represented in the Fletcher Challenge, Bank of New Zealand and Telecom Corporate Collections. There are also several works in the Brierley collection. Overseas he represents New Zealand in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collection.
 
Peter Siddell is New Zealand’s master technician of the New Realism movement and his works that are uniquely New Zealand in style and context are held in esteem on a worldwide marketplace.
Exhibitions