Ralph Hotere (1931-2013) is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most important artists. In October 2021 his wife and artist Mary McFarlane gifted his library to the Dunedin Public Library. Numbering some 900 items, the Hone Papita Raukura (Ralph) Hotere Collection is now fully catalogued and accessible through the reading room, 3rd floor, Heritage Collections. It contains books, pamphlets, art catalogues, magazines, ephemera, and vinyl records.
As befits an artist, the Art and Recreation section of the Dewey classification (700s) contains the most items at 490 (54.4%). Literature (800s) follows at 247 (27.4%) and then History and Geography (900s) at 73 (8.1%). Publications in the other seven areas such as Philosophy, Religion, Social Sciences, and so on – are much fewer, totalling some 101 items.
Importantly, the collection is a personal library, and it comprises a wide range of topics such as music, sculpture, social issues, te ao Māori, New Zealand history, dictionaries and encyclopaedias, cookbooks, and the Cuban Revolutionary War, especially Che Guevara. Because it is a personal library of a New Zealand artist, there are books pertinent to the New Zealand arts and literature scene, for example, books by and about James K. Baxter, John Caselberg, Colin McCahon, O.E (Ted) Middleton, Bill Manhire, Joanna Paul, Hone Tuwhare, Gordon Walters, and Bill Culbert.
Hotere was fortunate to travel overseas and while in London, France, Spain, Italy, and the Americas he viewed many original artworks. Publications on overseas artists and writers are also present, including Mondrian, Picasso, Matisse, Federico García Lorca, Ernest Hemingway, and artists of particular influence: William Turnbull, Antoni Tàpies, and Ad Reinhardt. And as he visited galleries and museums, soaking up the artistic offerings of each, he collected numerous catalogues and guide-books. Some of the institutions represented include the Auckland City Gallery, John Leech Gallery, Auckland, the Getty Museum, the Tate Gallery, London, and the Vatican, Rome.
Presentation copies also exist, gifted to Hotere by friends and well-wishers, many with personal inscriptions. He signed many of his books, often simply ‘Hotere’, and some contain fascinating marginalia and doodles.
The retention of an artist or writer’s personal library is a rare occurrence, and the Dunedin Public Library is fortunate, through the generosity of Mary McFarlane, that this has happened. It is an exciting addition to the library’s holdings. It is an exciting prospect for researchers and those who either knew of or were influenced by Hotere.
Displaying the entire collection is impossible. What is on display is but a fraction, a selection of books from his library that range in themes from Mitimiti and the North, the community of Dunedin and Port Chalmers, and his pastimes (golf and cooking), to the importance of Italy (Sangro River), book cover illustrations, and artistic collaborations. And so much more.
Bookman T.A. Birrell once wrote: ‘A private library is part of its owner’s biography. The known facts of his life may help in the understanding of his choice of books. Conversely, his choice of books may add to the understanding of the known facts of his life, and perhaps reveal unknown facts. A private statistical analysis of contents is inadequate.’ (1987). The selection conjures up a glimpse of the man and artist through his books; some facts and details are well known, others not and are revelatory. We do hope you enjoy the exhibition.
Personal thanks to Mary McFarlane, Cilla McQueen, Andrea Hotere, Ross Coombs, Tony Eyre, John Holmes, Vincent O’Sullivan (in absentia), and the Hotere Foundation Trust.