More Gottfried Lindauer portraits are coming out of the woodwork

Joan and Kevin McIntyre are still discovering Lindauers since they published their biography in September. Photo / Christine McKay

Biographers Joan and Kevin McIntyre thought they had found most of Gottfried Lindauer's lesser-known paintings but the search goes on.

The Woodville couple launched their book, Gottfried Lindauer 1839-1926 - Life of the Artist & His Work, at the Grand Hotel in Whanganui in September and a number of previously unknown portraits have come to light since.

"We have been to Wellington, Rotorua and Hawkes Bay to look at paintings since we launched the book."

One of the paintings is a portrait of Wellington piano teacher Ellen Mary Gibbs and Joan says it is an unusual Lindauer portrait.

"Most of his portraits were close-up, head and shoulder views of the subjects who were sitting.

"In this one, she is standing and her entire body is in the frame and there is background detail which is also unusual."

Gottfried Lindauer portraits of Pakeha subjects like this one of Wellington piano teacher Ellen Gibbs have been turning up since Kevin and Joan McIntyre published their book last year.

The McIntyres' book, sponsored and printed by Ed and Hinemoa Boyd of H&A Print in Whanganui, dispels a lot of false speculation about Gottfried Lindauer who came from Pilsner in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) and arrived in New Zealand in 1874.

Although mostly known for his portraits of Māori subjects, Lindauer also painted many portraits of New Zealand Pakeha and Europeans in other countries.

And the McIntyres are still discovering just how many of them there are.

"They may be in the possession of the great-great-grandchildren of the subject and they have never realised that Lindauer painted them."

The McIntyres spent 18 years researching, writing and compiling their large, coffee table edition and Kevin says it seems unlikely they will do another one.

"If we come across 50 more paintings, we might have to think about publishing some sort of follow-up."

Lindauer lived out his days in the Manawatu town of Woodville where he died in 1926.

The McIntyres are members of the trust that cares for the Gottfried Lindauer Replica Studio in Woodville where the artist-in-residence programme hosts artists from the Czech Republic.

H & A Print and Grand Hotel owner Neville Gorrie sponsor the programme and the McIntyres say the Whanganui support is the reason they chose to launch their book here.

The Tararua Lindauer Art Exhibition featuring work by artists from across the region will take place at the studio in Vogel St, Woodville from Saturday, March 2, until Sunday, March 10.