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Born in Taihape, New Zealand in 1922, DOUGLAS KERR MACDIARMID, the younger son of local doctor and surgeon Dr Gordon MacDiarmid and his wife Mary, went on to become one of this country’s most diverse, prolific and cultured expatriate artists, with his works held in many of the world’s best public and private collections.
In Colours of a Life, MacDiarmid’s niece, journalist Anna Cahill presents an accessible and fascinating biography of this talented bisexual man who had to leave New Zealand to find a life as a painter on his own terms. “The choice he faced in 1950 was “live in New Zealand and suffocate – or choose Europe and hope for a measure of root adaptation”. At the time of his death in Paris, just shy of 98, MacDiarmid was the oldest survivor of his extraordinary generation of creative New Zealanders, and perhaps a missing link – the one who got away and slid under the radar for choosing to pursue an international career rather than a domestic living. His life and insights have the distinction of straddling almost a century of cultural trends and influences, in New Zealand and abroad. Despite living most of his life overseas, MacDiarmid always remained acutely in tune with his homeland, as evinced by his 34 local solo exhibitions between 1949 and 2017. He revelled in his time in Christchurch in the 1940s. Described by Cahill as “a rare place to be... An unprecedented fusion of time, ideas and people made it, for a brief, glorious season, the centre of New Zealand creativity, culture and progressive thinking... This was the milieu of musician Frederick Page and his painter wife Evelyn; of composer Douglas Lilburn interacting with painters and poets; of big minds like European philosopher Karl Popper and the inspiring Ngaio Marsh, to name but a few. They shared ideas and collaborated in a fluid exchange inspiring creativity and change.” These were his close friends, along with other a network of now iconic artists, musicians, poets, progressive thinkers such as Rita Angus, Charles Brasch, Allen and Betty Curnow, Theo Schoon, Frank Sargeson and James Weir. Not only was MacDiarmid a prodigious painter, he was also an illustrator, published poet and novelist, art tutor, and had commissioned art critiques published in New Zealand and overseas.
Colours of a Life is divided into 13 chapters. It explores his early life, sexuality, vast creativity, significant relationships, important friendships and influences, successes and travels, as well as his beliefs and philosophies. The text uses Douglas’ voice as widely as possible, including a sprinkling of poems and quotes from his extensive correspondence. It is splendidly illustrated with 150 high-quality images, including reproductions of art work, personal photographs, and newspaper clippings. It reveals a man of many contradictions: disciplined but wayward; generous but self-centred; articulate, erudite and classically grounded but mischievous and irreverently funny. He was an extraordinary individual, with a unique global view that retained its intrinsic New Zealand-ness, and a compelling story to tell of a life richly and unconventionally led. This book is for anyone looking for inspiration to liberate their potential or dedicate their life to doing what they love.
Author: Anna Cahill
Hardcover Published April 2018 472 pages