Mid-century lighting by Doreen Blumhardt (New Zealand)

Dame Vera Doreen Blumhardt ONZ DNZM CBE (7 March 1914 – 17 October 2009) was a New Zealand potter, ceramicist and arts educator. She was born on 7 March 1914 in Huanui in the North of New Zealand. Her parents were German-born David Blumhardt and Wilhelmina Elisabeth Magdalene Hartdegen who ran a small farm near Whangarei. Blumhardt attended Whangarei High School and studied the violin. She had a keen interest in drawing and watercolours and went on to study at the Canterbury College of Art in Christchurch. From 1937, she attended a teacher training programme at Christchurch Teachers' Training College and studied German and education at Canterbury University College.

After graduating, Blumhardt taught art at various schools in New Zealand, including Wellington Girls' College and Hutt Valley High School. In 1947, she was appointed head of the art department at Wellington Teachers' College. She held this position until her retirement more... in 1979.

Blumhardt was a prolific ceramic artist. She began working in clay in the 1940s, and her work was influenced by the Japanese tea ceremony and the work of Bernard Leach. She exhibited her work widely in New Zealand and overseas, and her work is held in the collections of many museums, including the Auckland Art Gallery, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Blumhardt was a passionate advocate for the arts, and she was a founding member of the Crafts Council of New Zealand and the New Zealand Society of Potters. She was also a recipient of many awards, including the Queen's Service Medal in 1977, the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1990, and the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000.

Doreen Blumhardt died in Wellington on 17 October 2009, aged 95. less...