Arnold Manaaki Wilson

Arnold Manaaki Wilson (11 December 1928 – 1 May 2012) was a New Zealand artist and educator of Māori (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa) descent. He is regarded as a pioneer of the modern Māori art movement.

Early life and education Born in Ruatoki on 11 December 1928,

Wilson was educated at the Ruatoki Native School and then won a scholarship to attend Wesley College in Auckland. He showed an interest in art from an early age and was encouraged by his teachers.

Wilson studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. In 1955 he graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts with first class honours in sculpture, the first Māori student to graduate from Elam. Later in life, Wilson was director of Te Mauri Pakeaka, the cross-cultural community involvement art programme at the Ministry of Education.

Art historian Mark Stocker notes that Wilson "sought to show young Māori artists how they could take strength from their heritage, but use both traditional Māori and European sculptural materials and methods to convey their ideas".

Artistic career Wilson is known mainly for his work as a sculptor. Along with artists such as Ralph Hotere and Sandy Adsett, Wilson experimented with blending Maori and European artistic traditions.

Arnold had a long exhibiting career, in New Zealand and internationally. A pivotal early exhibition was held at the University of Auckland’s Adult Education Centre in June 1958, where Wilson showed work with four other teachers: Hotere, Mataira, Walters and Selwyn Wilson. They worked in Northland. Mane-Wheoki identifies this as "the first exhibition of work by modern Māori artists adapting the styles of contemporary European modernism".

Honours and awards 1991 – Queen's Service Medal for public services, in the 1991 New Year Honours 2001 – Te Tohu Toi Kē Award from Te Waka Toi for new directions in contemporary Māori art 2007 – Arts Foundation Icon Award in 2007 2008 – Honorary doctorate from AUT University, acknowledging his work in education and the arts 2010 – Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the arts, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours

Death Wilson died in Auckland on 1 May 2012.