KEY POINTS:
Dozens of "unique and irreplaceable" paintings by leading New Zealand artists have been destroyed in a courier truck fire.
The paintings were being taken to Dunedin after an exhibition in Invercargill. The show included works by Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere, John Weeks and Dick Frizzell.
It was not known last night which, if any, of their works was destroyed when flames erupted in the back of the truck.
Art dealer Milford House would not say what paintings were affected, or what they were worth, until insurance assessors had finished their work.
The 35 works came from Milford Galleries in Queenstown and were on their way to Milford House in Dunedin.
The fire happened on State Highway 1 near Clinton, about 7pm on July 10, but details emerged only after a tip-off yesterday.
Milford House director Niki Stewart said yesterday that she was devastated, and that losing the paintings was like a death for the gallery.
The paintings were a significant part of the Milford Galleries Queenstown exhibition shown at City Gallery in Invercargill.
The works had been inspected and were irrecoverable.
Ms Stewart would not say which works were lost or who owned them because the owners would be "well known".
She said the gallery was reviewing its procedures.
"It was a huge amount of work, and it's caused a huge amount of sadness.
"We are saddened by the loss of these unique and irreplaceable works.
In April, a McCahon painting, Noughts and Crosses, sold at auction for $364,992 and a work by Hotere fetched $153,981.
Hawkes Bay artist Dick Frizzell said Milford Galleries had not said whether his work was damaged.
Some of his works, which sold for between $14,000 and $40,000, had "disappeared off the planet" - but to his knowledge none had ever been destroyed.
Southern region fire safety officer Terry Glass said an investigator found the fire was caused by arcing batteries in a mobility scooter also being carried in the truck.
- Otago Daily Times
