William Baverstock
William Sykes Baverstock OBE FRSA was an illustrator, photographer, arts administrator and the first Director of the Robert McDougall Art Gallery in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Early history
Baverstock was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. His parents William and Alice Baverstock moved to Christchurch in 1901 when Baverstock was eight for his father to take charge of the lithographic department at The Press newspaper. Baverstock senior was highly regarded as an artist, designer and was skilled in drawing. Baverstock began his early schooling at a private school in Norwich and went on to attend West Christchurch District High School. By the age of 13 he had proved himself as talented in drawing and won a local Art Society children’s art competition. In 1910 he went to work in his father’s department at The Press where he remained for the next 18 years. He was also able to attend the Canterbury College School of Art where he excelled in drawing and caricature. In 1915 Baverstock was awarded a First Class pass for Drawing from Life. He later said of his talent, ‘I must admit, too, that although I attended art school for some time, my appreciation of good drawing came mostly from my father.’Canterbury Society of Arts
Baverstock established himself as an artist and key player in the Christchurch arts community from an early age and showed at the Canterbury Society of Arts regularly from 1913 when he also received a CSA Diploma for Caricature. By 1917 he had joined the CSA as a working member which he remained until 1972. Throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s Baverstock continued with his personal art and design practice. His illustrations, caricatures and photography were often used as illustrations in magazines and journals. His work also attracted national attention with his designs published as first day covers for the Health Camp movement and his drawings and caricatures exhibited in major exhibitions such as the New Zealand Centennial. Throughout this period he continued to develop his interests in arts administration and in 1934 he was elected to the council of the New Zealand Society of Artists and in 1943 became Secretary / Treasurer of the Canterbury Society of Arts. He filled this role for the next 16 years. It was said on his retirement that during his tenure he had signed more than10,000 receipts, taken only one day off for illness, and managed 31 large-scale exhibitions.The Group
In 1927, Baverstock was sharing a studio with other former students from the art school including Cora Wilding, Margaret Anderson, William Montgomery, Ngaio Marsh, Evelyn Polson, and Edith Collier and together they formed the influential The Group The first exhibition was held in the studio at 109 Cashel Street which had been the old linotype room of The Press. Two years later Baverstock was one of nine artists in the first Group Show to be presented together with a full catalogue of works which was held in the CSA’s Durham Street Gallery. He also acted as The Group’s spokesperson, exhibited in a number of early shows, and later was one of the 33 artists, including Colin McCahon, Toss Woollaston, Doris Lusk, Rita Angus and Rata Lovell-Smith, selected for the 1947 20 Year Retrospective Group Show.The Savage Club
Baverstock joined the Savage Club in 1922 and remained a member for over 50 years. The Club was a men’s only social club at this time devoted to cultural activities. Baverstock became known as its ‘honorary caricaturist’. As well as participating in the cultural activities of the club Baverstock was also active in committee work and particularly in the Clubs’ efforts to develop Health Camps. Later, in 1935, he was appointed to the management committee of Children's Health Camps which was responsible for planning the health camps of New Zealand.Awards and recognition
1934 Elected to the council of the New Zealand Society of Artists.Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
1960 Appointed Honorary Life Member of the Canterbury Society of Arts.
1968 Awarded an OBE for services to the arts.
1969 Elected Vice Chairman of AGMANZ.
1973 Exhibition of Baverstock’s caricatures, designs and drawings presented at the CSA Gallery.
1973 The Baverstock Memorial Lecture ‘to promote understanding between the Māori and the Europeans’ was instituted at the Canterbury Museum.
1980 In Memory of William Sykes ''Baverstock, O.B.E., F.R.S.A.'' a memorial booklet published by H S Baverstock.