Abstract mural

1971

Roy Cowan

Hidden (in storage)

2019–Current

  • In storage, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, 2 The Terrace, Wellington Central, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

Type

  • Mural

Medium

  • Ceramic tile
  • Glass
  • Porcelain

Dimensions

  • Approx L4000mm

Roy Cowan, ‘Abstract mural’ (1971), Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
Image: Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, 2019

Past locations
1971–2019

Foyer, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, 2 The Terrace, Wellington Central, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

Artists
Associated Artwork Organisation(s)

Description

Composed of four interlocking koru, this mural was the National Bank Art Award winner in 1971. As Frances Sutton observes, the mural is "a mosaic made with ceramic tiles that come in a range of imaginative shapes and colours. Some tiles are tiny round pots containing the glowing colours of sea and sky. Others seem to have flowers pressed into them. The tiles unite in swirling wave forms, some ending in koru." ('Art & About: A pocket guide to Wellington's public art' (Steele Roberts, 2015))

Roy Cowan also completed a sculpture for the Reserve Bank’s downtown Auckland premises in 1981.

The work was removed in 2019 to make way for refurbishments of the Reserve Bank’s foyer. It remains stored in a crate on site.