Join us to celebrate the opening of the Adam Portraiture Award 2026, Aotearoa New Zealand's premier award for painted portraiture. The opening will run from 6:30-8:30pm and is free to attend, with all welcome.

Presented biennially by the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, the Adam Portraiture Award has become one of the country's most significant portrait exhibitions. Bringing together works by established and emerging artists from across Aotearoa, it offers a timely reflection on the people who shape our communities, histories and lives.

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Portraiture has long been a way of recording who someone is. The selected works explore identity, connection, memory and belonging, revealing the many ways artists choose to represent the people around them. Together, they form a compelling snapshot of contemporary Aotearoa.

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Celebrate the arrival of this nationally touring exhibition with an evening of art, conversation and community.

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The Adam Portraiture Award is generously supported by the Adam Foundation, with Principal Partners Wellington City Council and Creative New Zealand, and Supporting Partner the Sargood Bequest.