Pauline Kahurangi Yearbury (b.1928 d.1977 Ngāpuhi) was one of the first Māori artists to introduce Māori cultural narratives into contemporary art. Her work is characterised by a bold and illustrative style. This focused survey includes incised wooden panels featuring figures from Māori whakapapa narratives for which Yearbury is best known, as well as lesser-known drawings and paintings.
Yearbury, formerly Blomfield, was born in Mātauri Bay, Te Tai Tokerau Northland and moved to Tāmaki Makaurau in her teens where she attended Elam School of Fine Arts. Completing her studies in 1949, becoming the first Māori person to train in fine arts. After tutoring at Elam for a number of years, Yearbury returned to Te Tai Tokerau and established a gallery in Kororāreka Russell with her husband, where she sold and promoted her work.
