The Gallery is committed to developing a contemporary art museum that is recognised internationally for its global vision and special commitment to the Pacific region.
In its buildings, the Gallery maintains and develops a contemporary art collection and presents a diverse programme of exhibitions and events. Through programmes that extend beyond its walls, the Gallery also aims to foster the development and interpretation of contemporary art by developing new audiences and new possibilities for artists within contemporary culture.
The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is a museum that fosters the development and interpretation of contemporary
art, and is principally supported by the New Plymouth District Council.
The Gallery is open from 10am - 5pm daily.
Len Lye
An experimental film-maker, poet, painter, kinetic sculptor, eccentric and ebullient personality, Len Lye is one of New Zealand's most widely-known modernist artists. The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is home to the archives and studio collection of the Len Lye Foundation. Born in Christchurch in 1901 and largely self-educated, Lye was driven by a life-long passion for motion, energy and the possibility of composing them as a form of art. Lye's interests took him far from New Zealand; after sojourns in the South Pacific, Lye moved to London and then New York, where he became known as an intensely creative film-maker and kinetic sculptor.
In 1977, Len Lye returned to his homeland to oversee the first New Zealand exhibition of his work at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Shortly before his death in 1980, Lye and his supporters established the Len Lye Foundation, to which he gave his work. The gallery is the repository for much of this collection, employing a full-time curator to ensure its preservation and appropriate exhibition. Lye's sculptures are also held in the collections of several major art museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Whitney Museum in New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Major repositories of Lye's film work include the New Zealand Film Archive, the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. Please follow the links below for more information about Len Lye and his work.
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