In 1933 Elizabeth Kelly was described as New Zealand’s foremost woman portrait painter and compared to Laura Knight in Britain.1 So who was she and what did she and her husband Cecil Kelly bring to New Zealand art?
Cecil and Elizabeth Kelly had careers that spanned the first half of the twentieth century, yet little has been written about them in New Zealand’s art histories. They were deeply involved in the Canterbury art scene: Cecil was on the board of the Canterbury Society of Arts (CSA) for many years, and both showed their work there for over 40 years. Cecil taught at the Canterbury College School of Art (CCSA) for four decades, influencing future generations of New Zealand artists. Although they both painted local landscapes, Elizabeth was particularly known for her academic style of portrait painting, which won acclaim in Paris and London. In 1938 she became the first New Zealander to be awarded the CBE for her contribution to art.
Annie Elizabeth Abbott was born in April 1877 in Christchurch, the eldest of four children. Her grandfather had founded Exeter Nursery on his arrival in 1873 and it had become one of the largest nurseries in the country. The family lived in a house on the estate where her father was a manager. At school she showed talent for drawing and began Saturday-morning classes at the CCSA in 1891. When her grandfather died in 1895, her grandmother sold the nursery and moved to Australia with the proceeds. Elizabeth continued to study art with the help of six scholarships,2 and graduated with a first-class Art Class Teacher’s Certificate in 1900. The following year she was employed at the CCSA as a student assistant teacher, also giving private art lessons in her studio on the top floor of the AMP building in the Square. At the start of 1902 she moved to a studio at 218 Hereford Street and continued giving private tuition there.
Cecil Kelly was born in July 1878, the seventh of ten children. His father was the manager of the Hallenstein Brothers store in Christchurch. They lived in St Albans near the Abbotts and the children went to school together. Cecil was the same age as
