Max Patté—Colours of Home
16.04.25 — 10.05.25
Webb's Wellington is proud to announce Colours of Home, a selling exhibition of artworks by Max Patté. The first solo show in New Zealand by the artist in over a decade.
Colours of Home—a selling exhibition—presents new works by the artist Max Patté.
The inimitable, British-born Patté spent a decade in Aotearoa after migrating here to work for Wētā Workshops. Patté’s initial fame came with Solace in the Wind, the life-sized steel sculpture affectionately known as 'Naked Man' on the Wellington waterfront, followed by a series of large, circular lightworks and the awe inspiring Infinity Works. This exhibition which continues his exploration light, space, and colour in his sculptures, paintings, and light art takes its inspiration from the flora and landscapes that surround his adoptive home of Mallorca, Spain.
An Insight into the Works
—Words by Max Patté
The title of this body of work "Colours of Home" refers to the palette of colours I experienced during a walk in early spring with my family. Meandering through the country lanes of our new home village in Mallorca, it's impossible not to fall in love with the vibrancy of the blossoming almond trees.
Photographs and digital scans of one collection of almond blossom cuttings collected during a walk became a single source of inspiration and reference for an entire body of work spanning a year in the studio. I have always drawn profound inspiration from the beauty of the natural world. Combinations of colour, light, and form—it's all there laid out in front of us. My approach involves deconstructing and rearranging these elements in unique ways, allowing me to reinterpret their essence through the work.
By the time I'm done, my art may not retain any obvious representational qualities to its original source, but it's all there. Each piece tells a story. The palette, the arrangement of colours, patterns, and form are all determined by the source material, which comes from the natural world. No matter how abstract or far removed the result may be.
I'm led by process, by play, and by experimentation within the studio. Once an image is selected, it is very methodically broken down into its component parts. The process of simplifying or breaking down an image in this way helps me decide what form the end piece may take, be it painting or sculpture. From here, everything's mapped out and recorded. It's very precise. One work tends to inform the next. What may begin as a painting often evolves into a sculpture. Elements from previous works are present in every piece, allowing them to be viewed chronologically. This way, the viewer is taken on a journey through my mind's eye, where they can observe how these ideas manifest in physical form.
It's a collection that represents my day-to-day life, a life of experimentation and play. Hopefully, some of this playfulness, some of the joy I find through making art, through a life spent in colour, finds its way into the work.
Launch Event: Wednesday 16 April, 5.30—7.30pm
Webb’s Wellington Gallery | 23 Marion Street, Te Aro, Wellington, 6011
More information coming soon
Max Patté, Colours of Home—A Selling Exhibition is on view in our Wellington gallery from Wednesday 16 April—Saturday 10 May. If you have any questions, please contact our specialist team.
Virginia Woods-Jack
Exhibitions Manager
+64 22 679 8664
virginia@webbs.co.nz