Bringing the roaring 1920s and '30s to life in linocut prints Speed and Colour showcases 30 prints (1922 to 1936) from the Grosvenor School linocuts in the Te Papa collection that were gifted by Rex Nan Kivell in 1951. Influenced by the Italian Futurists, these prints convey the optimism of the Roaring '20s and the '30s, with images of cars, machinery, sports and daily life all captured in vivid colour, with a striking sense of speed and movement.

Associate Director of Te Papa's Museum for Living Culture, Tracy Puklowski, says the exhibition captures everyday life in vivid colour. "They were lively and vibrant times and this is reflected in the works. It was also a time of great technological advancement in Europe and we see this coming through. The colour linocut was a 20th Century invention and the artists believed it expressed the spirit of the modern age of industrialism and utilitarianism," said Tracy Puklowski. This ‘pop' modernism paralleled the developments in art and design in the 1920s and 1930s, and was influenced by Cubism, Futurism, Vorticism and Art Deco. The streamlined design and bright colours were intended to express the energy and jubilance of the Jazz Age. Developed and presented by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, supported by Creative Communities Marlborough

FLOORTALK by Dr Mark Stocker
Curator International Historical Art, Te Papa Tongarewa,
2.30pm Saturday 24 May