Bill (William) Culbert New Zealand, 1935-2019
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About Bill (William) Culbert
Born in Port Chalmers, near Dunedin, William Franklin Culbert MNZM was notable for his use of light in painting, photography, sculpture and installation work, as well as his use of found and recycled materials. He left New Zealand in 1957 to study at the Royal College of Art, London and divided his time between London, Croagnes in southern France, and New Zealand. He was married to artist Pip Culbert (1938-2016) and made many collaborative works with artist Ralph Hotere. His work is held in public and private collections throughout New Zealand and Europe, including the atrium of Te Papa, Wellington. In 2013 he represented New Zealand at the 55th Venice Biennale.
The earliest auction listing we have for William Culbert is in 2001 and in total 91 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 60 (66%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $22,738 for Five Cubes to Black: Daylight to Nighlight sold by Art+Object in April 2022. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2023. Works by William Culbert are held by the Museum Of New Zealand, Auckland Art Gallery and a further three major public national galleries (see list below).
Bill (William) Culbert is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- McGahey, Kate. The Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Artists Painters Printmakers Sculptors, Gilt Edge Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand, 2000. Page 57
- The Find New Zealand Artists web site: a database of artist names that directs researchers to the rich resources found in New Zealand's libraries, art society exhibition histories and published sources.
The Australian Art Sales Digest is a database of over 610,000 works by more than 12,000 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, and an additional 36,000 foreign and other artists, offered for sale by auction in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1970s to the present day.
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