Kiwi Icon: Goldie

In museums around New Zealand are stunning paintings of Māori, portraits done by one of the country's leading artists, Goldie. But his amazing work also contributed to his death.
Charles Frederick Goldie was born to David and Maria in on October 20, 1870 in Auckland.
David was a timber merchant, later mayor of Auckland and a strict primitive methodist who resigned as mayor rather than toast the visiting Duke and Duchess of Cornwall with alcohol.
Maria was herself an amateur artist who encouraged Charles and while at school he won several prizes from the Auckland Society of Arts.
After leaving school Goldie studied with Louis Jon Steele, an English born New Zealand artist and surgeon while working for his father.
His first exhibition impressed Governor of New Zealand Sir George Grey with his still life paintings.
After a trip to Paris to study Academie Julian for a grounding in drawing and painting he returned to New Zealand in 1898. He began sharing a studio with Steele and they collaborated on a large painting.
After parting ways Goldie set up his own studio and he began to make field trips to sketch and photograph Māori and paid some to sit for him in Auckland.
Most of his subjects were elderly Māori with Ta Moko.
He dedicated his life to painting Māori chiefs and leaders, and began living on marae and spoke fluent Te Reo.
Goldie wanted to preserve the heritage of Māori i people.
In 1920 he married Olive Ethelwyn Cooper during a trip to Sydney. They never had any children.
Ironically his health began to deteriorate due to lead poisoning, a common complaint with artists, from the use of lead white used to prepare canvases.
It was common for him to lick the ends of paint brushes to get a fine point.
At the time he was not producing much work and was encouraged by resume painting in about 1930 and by 1934 and 35 he exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and in France.
He stopped painting in 1941 and died on July 11, 1947, and is buried in Purewa Cemetery.
Goldie is considered one of the most important New Zealand artists and most of his paintings have topped half a million in sales while several have been over $1 million.
Picture from Te Papa’s collection.​