Rita Angus, one of the leading figures in twentieth century New Zealand art, was born on March 12 1908. She worked primarily in oil and water colour, and is well known for her portraits and landscapes. Angus was born in Hastings, New Zealand, the eldest of seven children of William McKenzie Angus and Ethel Violet Crabtree. In 1921, her family moved to Palmerston North and she attended Palmerston North Girls' High School between 1922 and 1926. There her talent for art was recognised and she was encouraged to pursue it further. In 1927 she began studying at the Canterbury College School of Art.

Angus lived mostly in Christchurch during the 1930s and 1940s before moving to Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast. She later settled in Wellington and died from ovarian cancer at the age of 61 in 1970. Angus painted a large number of portraits, including "Head of a Maori Boy" (1938) and "Portrait (Betty Curnow)" (1942). Works by Angus have been exhibited across New Zealand on a number of occasions. To mark the centenary of her birth, a special exhibition titled 'Rita Angus: Life and Vision' was exhibited in 2008 by Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

This image presented here is from the Ministry of Women's affairs series of 1993 Suffrage Centennial Year Trust Posters. The series of posters were created to support an exhibition on 'Wonderful Wellington Women', a collaboration between the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Wellington City Council. Other notable figures found in the same series include Katherine Mansfield and Lady Miria Pomare. This poster as well as other items from the Suffrage Centennial Year Trust can be viewed in our Wellington Reading Room.

Archives Reference: ABKH 7365 W4437 98 NF319 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=17048558

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