Paradise

 

 

Sir Rex de Charembac Nan Kivell (1898-1977) was a collector possessed of great imagination, taste and persistence. Born in New Zealand, he lived most of his life in London where he amassed an extensive collection of documentary evidence relating to the European exploration, discovery and colonisation of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Comprising over 14 000 items in a variety of media - paintings, drawings, etchings, manuscripts, books, pamphlets, objects and maps - the Rex Nan Kivell Collection is a resource unrivalled for its beauty, coherence and comprehensiveness. It is also a portrait of its collector, revealing his obsessions: completeness carried to extremes, a zeal for every possible form of documentation, a passion for fine condition and a love of the odd and the quirky. To celebrate the centenary of Nan Kivell's birth, the National Library presents Paradise Possessed: The Rex Nan Kivell Collection.

 

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1. Joseph Griffiths Swayne, 1819-1903
Canterbury Plains from the Port Hills Showing the Coast of Pegasus Bay near Christchurch, NZ 1861

 

Exhibition plan

A selection of images from the Paradise Possessed exhibition.

National Library of Australia.

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Copyright: ©1998, National Library of Australia