New Vision Gallery
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Art gallery |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Kees Hos, Tina Hos |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Auckland , New Zealand |
| Products | Contemporary craft and art exhibitions |
New Vision Gallery was a prominent contemporary craft and art gallery located in Auckland, New Zealand, active from the 1950s through the 1970s.
History
Founded in 1957 by Dutch-born artists Kees (Cornelis) Hos (1916–2015), a painter and printmaker, along with his wife Tina (Albertine) Hos (deceased 1976), a skilled weaver who had emigrated from the Netherlands in 1956, the gallery initially operated as the New Vision Craft Centre in Takapuna. Its purpose was to present exceptional works created by New Zealand craftspeople. The name was inspired by Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy’s book The New Vision, from Material to Architecture. At the time, it was among a select group of retail venues promoting contemporary craft alongside fine art and design, including Wellington’s Helen Hitchings Gallery and Auckland’s Brenner Associates.
By 1959, the Hoses moved New Vision to His Majesty’s Arcade in central Auckland, establishing it as the city’s first retail space devoted exclusively to New Zealand potters, jewellers, weavers, and other craft artists. Over the years, they emerged as leading figures within New Zealand’s applied arts market. In 1965, they broadened their scope by launching a second gallery above the original space dedicated to contemporary art—filling the void left by the closure of Auckland’s Ikon Gallery.
New Vision became notable for being one of the few dealer galleries that embraced abstract art. It hosted debut solo exhibitions for artists such as Gordon Walters and Theodorus Johannes Schoon, while also supporting expressionist painter Philip Trusttrum. Art historian Andrew Paul Wood remarked:
The impact of New Vision on Auckland’s artistic community was extraordinary; beyond exhibitions, the Hoses offered moral encouragement to artists including Colin McCahon. They stood out as rare advocates for modernism and abstraction, linking local artistic developments with European trends.
The gallery also organized key applied arts exhibitions. Jeweller Jens Hoyer Hansen held his inaugural solo exhibition there in 1960. In 1970, it showcased Silver, Gold, Greenstone, New Zealand’s first major exhibition of contemporary jewellery featuring artists like Kobi Bosshard, Jens Hansen, Gunter Taemmler, Ida Hudig, alongside sculptors such as Paul Beadle and Theo Schoon. Ceramicist Bronwynne Cornish presented her first significant solo exhibition at New Vision in 1971.
In 1971 Kees Hos relocated to Melbourne to assume leadership of the School of Art and Design at Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (now part of Monash University), while Tina Hos continued overseeing gallery operations until her passing in 1976. Afterwards, Pam Beca (later Donnelly) managed the gallery until James Peters assumed control in 1981. The gallery ultimately closed its doors in October 1986. Kees Hos died on 3 December 2015. The His Majesty’s Arcade building was demolished between late 1987 and early 1988.
In 2008, an exhibition reflecting on the history of New Vision Gallery was curated by Joanna Trezise and held at the Gus Fisher Gallery.
Artists
Among the distinguished creators who have showcased their work at New Vision Gallery are:
- Barry Brickell
- Kobi Bosshard
- Len Castle
- Philip Clairmont
- Barry Cleavin
- Bronwynne Cornish
- John Drawbridge
- Don Driver
- Ted Dutch
- Louise Henderson
- Richard Killeen
- Ted Kindleysides
- Michael Illingworth
- Milan Mrkusich
- John Parker
- Patricia Perrin
- Theo Schoon
- Mirek Smíšek
- Pauline Thompson
- Philip Trusttum
- Gordon Walters