Paul Annear

Paul Geoffrey Annear (17 October 1947 in Wellington, New Zealand – 24 April 2016 in Phnom Penh) was a New Zealand contemporary jeweller.^[1][2]

Annear completed a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and psychology in 1973, but later dismissed his degree as 'unimportant'.^[3] As a jeweller, Annear was self-taught, like many of his contemporaries.^[3]

Annear's early work was made in silver, and he also made paintings early in his career.^[3] In 1976 Annear read Theo Schoon's book Jade Country, and a few years later the work of John Edgar further piqued his interest in pounamu (New Zealand greenstone).^[3] On a 1986 trip to the west coast of New Zealand's South Island Annear gathered his first pieces of pounamu, and the material became very important for him.^[3][4] In 1991 he was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship to study ancient jade carvings in Asia, Europe, and North America.^[5]

In a 1988 article for Craft New Zealand craft historian Helen Schamroth discussed Annear's work, with particular reference to his 'bangles'.^[3] She wrote:

Not all of them are necessarily wearable - rather they function as visual objects. 'Bangle' seems an easily recognisable descriptive label he uses to describe a series of circular and cylindrical forms. It seems of little consequence that the aperture might be too tight to fit over a hand, or that a hollow cylindrical shape would imprison the arm. By simplifying the imagery Paul has in fact driven the function out, leaving a form, a shape to be admired, sculpture rather than jewellery.^[3]

Annear was one of twelve artists selected for the 1988 Bone Stone Shell exhibition, a touring exhibition developed by the New Zealand Craft Council for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to "show overseas audiences the new and important direction of New Zealand jewellery".^[6] The works Annear made for Bone Stone Shell were all made of pounamu: he noted in the exhibition catalogue that 'Jade is the material that dominates my work at this time'.^[7] He described his work from this time as being inspired by an ‘imagined neolithic culture’ rather than specifically Māori forms: the strong geometric shapes of the pieces are derived from arrowheads, adzes and other implements.^[8]

From 1991 to 1996 Annear was a member of the contemporary jewellers collective, the Fingers group.^[9] His work was included in the 1993 survey of New Zealand jewellery Open Heart, curated by Elena Gee for The Dowse Art Museum.^[10] He also experimented with cast glass as a medium, with music and with animation, and in 2003 published The Artist – a colouring book for adults.^[5]

Annear retired to Cambodia in about 2000, where he continued to make jewellery.^[5] He died in Cambodia in April 2016.^[11]

Annear's work is held in a number of New Zealand public collections, including Auckland War Memorial Museum,^[12] The Dowse Art Museum^[11] and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.^[13]

Further information

• John Daley portraits of Paul Annear, black and white photographs, c.1987. Collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Bone Stone Shell exhibition catalogue
• Mark Amery, Jewellery that speaks our way, The DominionPost, 30 October 2013. Review of the 25th anniversary re-staging of the Bone Stone Shell exhibition.

References