1949 – 2024

Multi-award winning, with accolades given both nationally and internationally, Alvin was Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading fine artist. His compelling, astonishingly vivid, unforgettable realist and surrealist paintings were the result of more than 50 years commitment to supreme excellence.

His technique was matchless – the result of infinite patience using his skills and perceptions to create exquisitely detailed images. They hold unfolding layers of meaning and beauty that reflect our culture in familiar settings and landscapes. These range from exquisite early colonial artefacts to his last work, a commanding portrait of the great warrior chief Rewi Manga Maniapoto, commissioned for the Maniapoto iwi.

Nor can his work be separated from his personal kindness, his warm heart and integrity, and his devotion to his family, as the flood of comments and emails since his death have recognised.

Alvin had severe covid two years ago and never regained his strength. He died on 26 September 2024. His beloved wife Ephra is leading a small team to continue managing their studio gallery in Parnell, Auckland, along with their online gallery, and to promote his legacy.