Life imitates art
Rhana Devenport
Why is art so important to Rhana Devenport, director of Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tāmaki? Simply: “Because it is the essence of being human.”
From a young age, Devenport was enraptured by art, her inspiration coming from her father, who was an architect, painter and a “truly creative being”. At eight years old, she gave a talk at her primary school in Brisbane, Australia, on Michelangelo’s masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Devenport drew a detailed rendition of the world-famous artwork to show her classmates.
This meticulous demonstration was perhaps the first sign of the career path that lay ahead, one that would take her to the top of the Australasian art world. Her résumé includes a senior position at the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at the Queensland Art Gallery (the gallery’s flagship art series) and the directorship of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, where she implemented the acclaimed Len Lye Centre.
In the five years she has helmed Auckland Art Gallery, leading a team of 100 “dedicated souls”, she has focused on strengthening the gallery’s role as a cultural leader. As the institution celebrates its 130-year anniversary, Devenport sees an increasing need to support New
