The Group was perhaps the most influential collective in New Zealand’s art history. An informal arts association, it was begun in 1927 by artists who had initially met through their studies at the Canterbury College of Art. Together they exhibited annually as an alternative to the more conservative ‘art societies’ that had dominated the art world since the 19th century. The Group was, in contrast, committed to experimental work that looked to the future of art in Aotearoa. Rather than relying on a European mode of art from the century before, as more traditional artists were, the members were instead interested in developing a more contemporary art making. Soon The Group grew to include Rita Angus, Olivia Spencer Bower, W. H. Allen, Doris Lusk, Leo Bensemann, Colin McCahon and one of Nelson’s most famous and influential artists—Toss Woollaston.

Nelson Hills brings together artworks from public and private collections across Aotearoa that depict the wider Nelson Tasman Region. While The Group was primarily a Christchurch- based collective, its members had a wide reach and travelled across Aotearoa to work, make and live. Toss Woollaston spent a large portion of his life in Nelson, and his residence there was certainly a draw for his contemporaries—many of whom made regular visits to paint, write and spend time with him.

The Group captured the length and breadth of this distinctive region, and Nelson was a perfect place to find new ways of depicting the landscape that makes Aotearoa so special. Forged by the Alpine Fault, the geology and geography of the Nelson Tasman Region includes rare plateaus, deep caves, tussock- covered coasts, limestone outcrops and lakes carved out by glaciers that disappeared centuries ago.

The agriculture of the region became a source of subject matter for the artists who lived there or visited, because this was frequently part of their experience—going to Nelson for seasonal work, labouring in the apple orchards, tobacco farms and amongst the hop vines. The lives of artists were precarious, and making a living from painting was almost impossible in the 1930s and 1940s. It is for this reason that many adopted semi-itinerant lifestyles – living and working across the country as they chased jobs and inspiration.

Many members of The Group were committed pacifists. During World War II, Nelson, and the Riverside Community in particular, became a haven for those who objected to war for political, religious or philosophical reasons. The Riverside Community was established in 1941 on 30 acres of land contributed by Hubert Holdaway. Members of the pacifist community moved onto the land, transforming it into a thriving farm. Eighty years on, Riverside remains New Zealand’s oldest intentional community. Their orchard drew artists such as Rita Angus, who visited the community in the 1940s. It is here that she was inspired to paint The Apple Pickers. The painting exemplifies the spirit of the community, as an egalitarian place in which all members worked together to support each other.

For these artists Nelson was a very popular location to spend their time, and upon which to base their artworks. Seasonal agricultural work that supplemented an artist’s income, the strength of the pacifist community and the bonds of friendship meant that even after The Group disbanded in 1977, many of its members continued to spend time in Nelson. Its hills, valleys, shorelines, orchards and estuaries cried out to be painted.