The New Zealand artist Clifford James Howlett was born in Hamilton, Auckland in 1916 and studied art first under John Weeks, gaining a diploma of fine arts at Elam School of Art in 1953. He then attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière leading to full time study with Andre Lhote in the 1954-1955 academic year.
The Court Gallery is delighted to be cataloguing Howlett's paintings and drawings made in 1954/5 when he was studying in Paris under Lhote. The artist's family discovered the suitcase of artworks when dealing with Howlett's estate following his death in 2016. The collection is a time capsule of mid 20th century cubism and reveals Howlett to be an artist of considerable talent who should be more widely known.
In due course The Court Gallery will be staging an exhibition of Howlett's cubist paintings and drawings.
