Peter McLeavey

Peter Joseph John McLeavey (21 September 1936 – 12 November 2015) was a New Zealand art dealer and advocate based in Wellington.

Early life Born in Raetihi on 21 September 1936, McLeavey was the son of Leslie Francis McLeavey and Elizabeth Theresa McLeavey (née McTiernan). He credited the beginning of his interest in art to a teacher at his high school in Waitara. His eponymous gallery is the longest-lived in New Zealand.

McLeavey started his art dealing career in 1966, showing art in the bedroom of his apartment on central Wellington street The Terrace. His first sale was a Toss Woollaston landscape. Alongside other early emerging dealer galleries, such as Barry Lett Galleries in Auckland, Peter McLeavey Gallery played an important role in encouraging collectors to support contemporary New Zealand artists. Among his major sales were Colin McCahon's Northland Panels to the then National Art Gallery (now the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) in 1978.

Over the years Peter McLeavey ran his gallery he exhibited some of the key names in New Zealand art including: Laurence Aberhardt, Billy Apple, Don Binney, Julian Dashper, Neil Dawson, Jacqueline Fraser, Bill Hammond, Jeffrey Harris, Pat Hanly, Michael Illingworth, Robert Jesson, Richard Killeen, Tony Lane, Allen Maddox, Colin McCahon, Milan MrKusich, Peter Peryer, John Reynolds, Peter Robinson, Ian Scott, Carl Sydow, Ray Thorburn, Yvonne Todd, Charles Tole, Warren Viscoe, Gordon Walters, Robin White and Toss Wollaston.

The gallery continues to operate at that location, and more than 500 exhibitions have been mounted there.

The Peter McLeavey Gallery currently represents some of New Zealand's best-known modern and contemporary artists, including Laurence Aberhart, Bill Hammond, Richard Killeen, Colin McCahon, Yvonne Todd, Robin White, Toss Woollaston, and Jeffrey Harris.

McLeavey died in Wellington on 12 November 2015 at the age of 79.

In September 2018 his archive was acquired by the Alexander Turnbull Library. It was scheduled to be made available by request in late 2019 or 2020.

The Man in the Hat In 2009, a documentary about McLeavey was released, directed by Luit Bieringa, produced by Jan Bieringa, and filmed by cinematographer Leon Narbey. The documentary intersperses scenes of McLeavey going about life at home, in inner-city Wellington, and in his gallery with readings by New Zealand actor Sam Neill from McLeavey's correspondence with artists.

Honours Massey University awarded McLeavey an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) in 2010