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Luit Bieringa
Luit Bieringa
Born	Luitjen Hendrik Bieringa; 10 September 1942; Groningen
Died	21 June 2022 (aged 79); Wellington
Occupation(s)	Art historian, art gallery director, museum director, film director
Years active	1971–2022

Luit Bieringa (1942–2022) was a New Zealand art historian, art gallery director and documentary film maker.^[2] Bieringa was born in Groningen in the Netherlands and emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1956.^[3]

Museum career

He was Director of the Manawatū Art Gallery from 1971 until 1979.^[4] During this time he led the development of a new purpose-built art centre (the gallery had previously run out of a converted house).^[5] He later recalled:

"The main thing was to try and change the context in which the gallery operated to becoming a fully-fledged public institution that the community could relate to. We had people's support and if you think of the time, the early 70s, we'd only just moved out of the rugby, racing and beer environment."^[5]

In developing the new gallery, Bieringa focused on making the gallery "as accessible as possible to all the people of the Manawatu, whether their interest be in functional pottery or conceptual art."^[6] As one of only three staff at the museum Bieringa was hands-on with all aspects of opening and running the gallery.^[6] Influenced by a 1975-76 study trip to Europe funded by the New Zealand Arts Council, Bieringa adopted an approach that a reviewer at the time of opening said "set the way for an active, community based gallery that will meet the needs and offer more besides for the people of the Manawatu."^[6] During his time at the Manawatū Art Gallery (now part of the Te Manawa museum complex) Bieringa curated the landmark contemporary photography exhibition The Active Eye.^[7]

In 1979 Bieringa was appointed Director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand. He held this position until 1989. He was a champion of photography in New Zealand, promoting it on a national level with major exhibitions at the National Art Gallery during his directorship, including New Zealand surveys and exhibitions of the work of Peter Black, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman and Richard Misrach.

Bieringa also brought with him a focus on contemporary art backed up by a local and global exhibition program that included: America and Europe a Century of Modern Masters from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection (1980),^[8] Rita Angus (1982),^[9] Views/Exposures - Ten Contemporary New Zealand Photographers (1982),^[10] I will need words: Colin McCahon’s word and number paintings (1984),^[11] Content-context 1986, Para Matchitt: Huakina (1986),^[12] Wild Visionary Spectral: New German Art (1986),^[13] When Art Hits the Headlines (1987),^[14] Barbara Kruger (1988),^[15] Nobodies: Adventures of the Generic Figure (1989)^[16] and Neil Dawson: Site Works (1989).^[17] A number of these exhibitions were shown at the National Art Gallery's waterfront gallery Shed 11 the Temporary/Contemporary.

During Bieringa's time as Director a number of important purchases were added to the National Art Gallery collections including: Colin McCahon The Second Gate Series (1962)^[18] and Practical Religion (1968–70),^[19] Barbara Kruger Untitled (We are unsuitable for framing) (1985),^[20] Robert Mapplethorpe Y Portfolio (1977),^[21] Paratene Matchitt Te Wepu (1986)^[22] and Ralph Hotere Black Phoenix (1984–88).^[23]

From 2003 until 2012 Bieringa served on the board of The Physics Room.^[24]

Film career

Bieringa's career as a film director began in 2006 with the release of Ans Westra – Private Journeys / Public Signposts, a documentary about the photographer Ans Westra produced by Bieringa's wife, Jan Bieringa.^[25]^[26] This director-producer partnership continued with the making of three more arts documentaries:

The Man in the Hat (2009), about Wellington art dealer and gallery owner Peter McLeavey^[27]
the heART of the matter (2016), documenting the establishment of a bicultural, arts-centred educational system in post-war New Zealand, led by Gordon Tovey^[28]
Signed – Theo Schoon (2021), a portrait of New Zealand Dutch immigrant artist Theo Schoon^[29]

References

^ Amery, Mark (24 June 2022). "Innovative but pragmatic friend to arts community". Stuff. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
^ Haas, Tony (15 July 2009). "Region needs to back whale museum". Marlborough Express. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
^ Amery, Mark (25 June 2022). "Innovative but pragmatic friend to arts community". Stuff. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
^ "Luit H. Bieringa, Former Director of the National Art Gallery". Manawatu Heritage. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b Thomas, Carly (4 October 2017). "A 40-year celebration of art without boundaries". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Spill, Nicholas. "Opening the new Manawatu Art Gallery". art-newzealand.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ "The Active Eye". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ America & Europe, a century of modern masters from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. National Art Gallery, Auckland City Art Gallery, Robert McDougall Art Gallery. [Place of publication not identified]: [Challenge Corp.] 1980. ISBN 0-937014-03-6. OCLC 8046968. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Angus, Rita (1982). Rita Angus. National Art Gallery. Wellington, N.Z.: National Art Gallery. ISBN 0-9597607-3-3. OCLC 12235600. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ "Views/Exposures". PhotoForum. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ McCahon, Colin (1984). I will need words : Colin McCahon's word and number paintings. National Art Gallery. Wellington, N.Z.: National Art Gallery. ISBN 0-9597607-5-X. OCLC 21528431. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ New Zealand art at Te Papa. Mark Stocker. Wellington, New Zealand. 2018. ISBN 978-0-9941460-3-8. OCLC 1048884132. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Radford, Ron (1986). Wild visionary spectral : new German art. Karl Ruhrberg, Wolfgang Max Faust, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, National Art Gallery. Adelaide: Art Gallery Board of South Australia with assistance from the Australian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and from Bayer Australia. ISBN 0-7308-0787-8. OCLC 14758766. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ Jim Barr, and Mary Barr (1987). When art hits the headlines : a survey of controversial art in New Zealand. National Art Gallery. Wellington [N.Z.]: National Art Gallery in association with the Evening Post. ISBN 0-9597785-4-3. OCLC 21341543. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ Kruger, Barbara (1988). Barbara Kruger. National Art Gallery, Shed II. The Temporary/Contemporary. Wellington, N.Z.: National Art Gallery. ISBN 0-9597785-5-1. OCLC 18199431. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ "Nobodies: Adventures of the Generic Figure". robertleonard.org. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ Dawson, Neil (1989). Neil Dawson : site works, 1981-1989. Mary Barr, Jim Barr. Wellington, N.Z.: National Art Gallery. ISBN 0-908843-02-X. OCLC 36528530. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
^ Forde, Rosemary. "Directors Report, The Physics Room Annual 2003" (PDF). physicsroom.org.nz. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ Bull, Alastair (10 August 2006). "Coaxing Westra out from behind the lens". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
^ "Whānau Mārama: Luit Bieringa". nziff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
^ Whānau Mārama: The Man in the Hat, archived from the original on 24 June 2022, retrieved 24 June 2022
^ Whānau Mārama: The heART of the Matter, archived from the original on 12 February 2022, retrieved 24 June 2022
^ Whānau Mārama: Signed, Theo Schoon, archived from the original on 23 February 2022, retrieved 24 June 2022