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Since the 1970s, the Sarjeant has actively collected contemporary New Zealand art, with most nationally-recognised artists now represented. The contemporary collections and exhibitions are weighted towards local achievement, particularly when artists born or resident in the Whanganui area have secured national or international recognition.
The Sarjeant generates a diverse range of exhibitions from these collections, sometimes combining Gallery works with material loaned by private and other public collections. Occasional issues based themes exploring belief systems, or social and cultural values, provide a useful context for viewing contemporary art. The Sarjeant Gallery is committed to presenting often challenging contemporary work that unmistakably reflects New Zealand's unique cultural place within the Pacific region.
photography
Soon after the Gallery opened, a notable local photographer, Frank Denton was commissioned to assemble a collection of international pictorial photography. Over the past 25 years the Sarjeant has demonstrated a strong commitment to contemporary photography, and is recognised as a premier gallery in this respect. There are important holdings by nationally recognised photographers such as Laurence Aberhart, Peter Peryer, Anne Noble, Ans Westra, Wayne Barrar, Richard Wotton, Megan Jenkinson and more historically, Frank Denton.
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