Ron’s leadership and mentorship were particularly notable in the areas of contemporary Pacifika art and photography. At least two generations of artists and peer curators respected Ron as a leader in these vital areas of our culture. Over the course of a forty-six year career at the Gallery, Ron curated a number of watershed exhibitions including Lillian Budd: The Voice of Silence (1997), Ross T Smith: Hokianga (1998), Terry Urbahn: The Karaokes (1998), John Ioane: Fale Sā (1999), Pat Hanly: Pure Painting (2000), John Pule: People Get Ready (2000–01), Marti Friedlander Photographs (2001), Gretchen Albrecht: Illuminations (2002), Sugimoto Portraits (2002), Fatu Feu‘u: O le Tautai Samoa(2002–03), Colin McCahon: A Question of Faith (2003), John Kinder’s New Zealand (2004), Home AKL: Artists of Pacific Heritage in Auckland (2012, Robert Ellis: Turangawaewae, A Place to Stand (2014–15), ANZAC: Photographs by Laurence Aberhart (2015), Malcolm Ross, Fiona Clark, Grant Lingard: Looking at Men (2021–22), Max Oettli: Visible Evidence – Photographs 1965–1975 (2021–22). His commitment to local photographers was also demonstrated when he was the coordinating curator of the international touring exhibition, Civilisation, Photography, Now (2020), in which he included the work of New Zealand photographers Chris Corson-Scott and Neil Pardington. At the time of his passing, Ron was working on the landmark survey show of the photographer Mark Adams, which was staged last year to great acclaim at the Gallery. This auction is a continuation of the series of auctions from Ron's estate and will feature an array of photography, art, and design reference books.
