Mad for glamour geeks

Auckland artist Peter Stichbury’s acrylic portraits of stereotyped “yearbook” characters feature in the latest Art World magazine, with his 2000 work ‘Juvenile’ taking the cover. “Stichbury is highly regarded for creating stylish, satirical portraits of his own generation, rendering them with stark precision,” John Hurrell writes. “Stichbury’s achievement is that he has given the skills of magazine or comic-book illustration the gravitas of studio painting.” In a New Zealand Times interview Stichbury says he views his work “as part of the vast historical continuum of the painted portrait but with contemporary themes.” Represented by Starkwhite in Auckland, the gallery and Te Tuhi Arts Centre will release a book on Stichbury’s work in mid-November. Stichbury won the Wallace Art Award in 1997. (October/November 28)