About
E. Mervyn Taylor (1906-64) was an artist and designer whose works made a significant contribution to the emergence of a distinctive New Zealand language of art and design, and his works are much loved and celebrated by many New Zealanders. He is primarily known for his wood cuts, engravings and illustrations – particularly for the New Zealand School Journal.
Lesser known is the fact that Taylor completed approximately thirteen murals and building decorations towards the end of his career, in both public and publicly-accessible commercial sites. There is varied information on the current status of these works: some are known to be intact, some have been boarded over, some are in need of restoration work, and the fate of others is simply unknown.
Taylor was passionate about the value of the creative arts within New Zealand. From his position as a Pākehā artist he actively supported the protection and promotion of Māori culture in an era when dominant colonial influences threatened its decline.
For more information on E. Mervyn Taylor, please see the following pages on Wikipedia; the biography and photos on Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of NZ; and the Official E. Mervyn Taylor site.
Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand 