A walk through the intricate painted gardens of Karl Maughan, one of New Zealand's most-loved contemporary artists.

For more than three decades, Karl Maughan has created intricately painted gardenscapes, developing his own visual language to explore the forms of nature and the nature of form.

Born in 1964 in Wellington, Maughan studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts before moving to London in 1994. His works can be found in the local collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and the Wallace Arts Trust, while internationally he has been collected by major arts organisations including the Saatchi Collection and the Arts Council Collection, London.He now lives back in Wellington.

Maughan’s paintings present idyllic yet unsettling enclosed spaces, characterised by their claustrophobic and colourful atmosphere. Ever faithful to his garden subject, Maughan continues to captivate his audiences with contemporary interpretations of an age-old subject.

This first book on one of New Zealand’s leading living artists features more than 150 beautifully reproduced images of Maughan’s work, while writers and artists from New Zealand and the United Kingdom explore the deeper meanings of Karl Maughan’s painted gardens.

Authors and contributors

Artist Hannah Valentine and art historian Gabriella Stead are designers and writers at Gow Langsford Gallery in Auckland. Contributing writers are NZ artist Dick Frizzell; curator, art historian and associate professor Linda Tyler from the University of Auckland; UK-based editor, writer and artist Phil King; and NZ author, curator and artist Gregory O’Brien.

Endorsements

‘[I] stood out of the way over in the corner in a white coat, trying to concentrate as Karl bopped about his enormous glass-topped palette, slashing away at his herbaceous borders with his oily brushes, chatting brightly about the complicated snobberies of the art racket. A magic moment.’ — From the Foreword by Dick Frizzell

Awards and Nominations

• 2021 PANZ Book Design Awards – Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand People's Choice Award – Joint Winner