Image: Hundertwasser Monument for 1990 (24686368809)

Description: Friedensreich Hundertwasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000) was a world-renowned Austrian artist, architect and environmentalist. He first visited New Zealand in the 1970s and decided to make it his second home, purchasing property in Northland. In New Zealand, Hundertwasser is remembered for gifting a koru flag design to the nation as a proposed secondary flag, and for designing the colourful public toilets in Kawakawa – the only Hundertwasser structure in the Southern Hemisphere. Hundertwasser died at sea onboard the QE2, aged 71. He was buried in New Zealand, which he considered his official home. The photograph above shows a model of a building that Hundertwasser designed with Wellington in mind. He described the building as ‘an architectural statement (monument) that enshrines the desire for mutual respect and equality between the New Zealand peoples.’ The photo is labelled ‘Hundertwasser Monument for 1990’ and is included in a New Zealand 1990 Commission file containing correspondence and newspaper articles regarding Hundertwasser’s role as a ‘Living Treasure’ during New Zealand’s 1990 commemorative year. Archives reference: ABLD W3778 1/3 (R21240424) www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21240424 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ To enquire about this record please email Research.Archives@dia.govt.nz Material from Archives New Zealand
Title: Hundertwasser Monument for 1990 (24686368809)
Credit: Hundertwasser Monument for 1990
Author: Archives New Zealand from New Zealand
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes