The Man In The Hat (2009)
There's an airy spirit of existential enquiry floating through Luit Bieringa's lovely portrait of Wellington art-dealer Peter McLeavey. A fundamental biographer's question - what makes this guy tick? - is quietly turned back on us by a subject who seems to live out a highly ordered daily existence in a state of perpetual curiosity about what makes any of us tick, himself included, in this corner of the world. Starting out as a dealer from his bedroom flat in 1966, McLeavey was already championing Toss Woollaston, Colin McCahon and Gordon Walters as purveyors of vision informed by New Zealand experience. He opened his two-room dealer gallery at 147 Cuba Street in 1968. Forty years and 500 or so exhibitions later he's still there. Cinematographer Leon Narbey follows the dapper man in a hat from his home in Hill Street on the circuitous scenic route he takes each morning to work. Bieringa intersperses this lyrical picture of McLeavey's Wellington with readings from his correspondence and frank, revealing conversations with the man himself.
Primary Title
- The Man In The Hat
Date Broadcast
- Sunday 1 August 2010
Release Year
- 2009
Start Time
- 13 : 30
Finish Time
- 15 : 00
Duration
- 90:00
Channel
- Documentary Channel
Broadcaster
- Sky Network Television
Programme Description
- There's an airy spirit of existential enquiry floating through Luit Bieringa's lovely portrait of Wellington art-dealer Peter McLeavey. A fundamental biographer's question - what makes this guy tick? - is quietly turned back on us by a subject who seems to live out a highly ordered daily existence in a state of perpetual curiosity about what makes any of us tick, himself included, in this corner of the world. Starting out as a dealer from his bedroom flat in 1966, McLeavey was already championing Toss Woollaston, Colin McCahon and Gordon Walters as purveyors of vision informed by New Zealand experience. He opened his two-room dealer gallery at 147 Cuba Street in 1968. Forty years and 500 or so exhibitions later he's still there. Cinematographer Leon Narbey follows the dapper man in a hat from his home in Hill Street on the circuitous scenic route he takes each morning to work. Bieringa intersperses this lyrical picture of McLeavey's Wellington with readings from his correspondence and frank, revealing conversations with the man himself.
Classification
- Unknown
Owning Collection
- Television Vault
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Art dealers--New Zealand--Biography.
- McLeavey, Peter
- Documentary films--New Zealand
Genres
- Art
- Biography
- Documentary
Contributors
- Peter McLeavey (Subject)
- Luit Bieringa (Director)
- Jan Bieringa (Producer)
- Leon Narbey (Cinematographer)
- Lala Rolls (Editor)
- Plan9 (Composer)
- Sam Neill (Interviewee)
- BWX Productions (Production Unit)
- 99192328314002091 (MMS ID)
Subjects
- Art dealers--New Zealand--Biography.
- McLeavey, Peter
- Documentary films--New Zealand