Northland born artist Ralph Hotere died yesterday surrounded by family in Dunedin. The 81-year-old sculptor, painter and collaborative artist, with a career spanning 50 years, had been suffering pneumonia.
Hotere rose to prominence with sparse, abstract paintings framed by words or poetry. Black was a signature and his Black Paintings completed in the 1960s are among his most famous works. He produced work protesting against apartheid South Africa, a proposed aluminium smelter in Aramoana and the Rainbow Warrior sinking.
But such was his dislike of speaking about his work that family sometimes spoke for him, his sister Charlotte Courtenay said yesterday. Crowds would gather behind some of his sisters - there are 15 siblings - as the artist looked on.
"Ralph didn't like too much of a fuss. When he had exhibitions he'd let us talk about the paintings and we'd turn around and he used to stand there nodding his head because he said abstract is really what you make of it."
He loved his Te Rarawa and Te Aupouri family. They were hugely proud of him, but in the beginning weren't sure about his talent.