Gothic 20
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Date1969Description‘Gothic 20’, a concrete sculpture made in 1969 by Eric Flegg. Flegg was a working potter and art education lecturer here at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. With a diploma of design and an art teacher’s diploma from English colleges, he joined the staff of Hamilton Teachers’ College in 1968 where he became Head of Art.
‘Gothic 20’ is a move away from the artist's medium of choice—pottery. As a founding member and tutor of the Hamilton Potters Workshop, he was a highly influential figure in the Waikato potting scene. Within the university, he established the original clay studio, which served both his personal practice and sparked interest in clay work among primary school students. Further afield, he exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1966 and 1967, and in 1983 was appointed chairman of the Northern Regional Arts Council, a position he held until 1990.
So why the foray into cement sculpture? In truth, little is actually known about this piece and Flegg’s intentions. It is a marked departure from his pottery, which often explored New Zealand’s geology. Gothic 20 hints at the gothic architectural design common in 12th–16th century Western Europe and later revived globally in the mid-18th to early 20th centuries. With the colonisation of New Zealand beginning in the 1840s, British settlers adopted revivalist architecture that reflected their homeland. British architect Augustus Pugin promoted the gothic style as inherently English and spiritual, influencing key figures such as New Zealand’s first Anglican bishop, George Selwyn, and architect Benjamin Mountfort. Their influence remains evident throughout the country, particularly in Christchurch, where Mountfort was a defining figure of the Gothic Revival.
Fast forward to the 1960s, when television and jet travel connected Aotearoa to the rest of the world more than ever before. Protests, pop culture, sport, cultural resurgence, immigration, the baby boom’s rise and fall, wool exports and the global economy all provided rich material for artists. The New Zealand art scene was alive with ‘-ism’ movements—from cubism and expressionism to modernism and abstractionism. Flegg’s Gothic 20 reflects this, abstracting classic elements of Gothic design.
A key feature of the Gothic style is tall, thin pointed arches. These were complemented by the desire for height—expressed through towering windows and ceilings—and supported structurally by barrel vaulting, a criss-crossed form to buttress the roof. Though not all these elements are present in Gothic 20, two tall archways twist into each other almost in an embrace. Notably absent is the iconic stained glass window. The interplay between negative and positive space evokes other modernist New Zealand sculptures from the 1950s and ‘60s. Whether Gothic 20 reflects Flegg’s British heritage or a momentary fascination with architectural sculpture, it’s noteworthy that the piece sits across from Donn Ratana’s Export Butter sculpture. Despite being nearly four decades apart, both works contemplate New Zealand’s historical ties to Britain and the complexities of that legacy.CreatorEric Flegg
‘Gothic 20’ is a move away from the artist's medium of choice—pottery. As a founding member and tutor of the Hamilton Potters Workshop, he was a highly influential figure in the Waikato potting scene. Within the university, he established the original clay studio, which served both his personal practice and sparked interest in clay work among primary school students. Further afield, he exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1966 and 1967, and in 1983 was appointed chairman of the Northern Regional Arts Council, a position he held until 1990.
So why the foray into cement sculpture? In truth, little is actually known about this piece and Flegg’s intentions. It is a marked departure from his pottery, which often explored New Zealand’s geology. Gothic 20 hints at the gothic architectural design common in 12th–16th century Western Europe and later revived globally in the mid-18th to early 20th centuries. With the colonisation of New Zealand beginning in the 1840s, British settlers adopted revivalist architecture that reflected their homeland. British architect Augustus Pugin promoted the gothic style as inherently English and spiritual, influencing key figures such as New Zealand’s first Anglican bishop, George Selwyn, and architect Benjamin Mountfort. Their influence remains evident throughout the country, particularly in Christchurch, where Mountfort was a defining figure of the Gothic Revival.
Fast forward to the 1960s, when television and jet travel connected Aotearoa to the rest of the world more than ever before. Protests, pop culture, sport, cultural resurgence, immigration, the baby boom’s rise and fall, wool exports and the global economy all provided rich material for artists. The New Zealand art scene was alive with ‘-ism’ movements—from cubism and expressionism to modernism and abstractionism. Flegg’s Gothic 20 reflects this, abstracting classic elements of Gothic design.
A key feature of the Gothic style is tall, thin pointed arches. These were complemented by the desire for height—expressed through towering windows and ceilings—and supported structurally by barrel vaulting, a criss-crossed form to buttress the roof. Though not all these elements are present in Gothic 20, two tall archways twist into each other almost in an embrace. Notably absent is the iconic stained glass window. The interplay between negative and positive space evokes other modernist New Zealand sculptures from the 1950s and ‘60s. Whether Gothic 20 reflects Flegg’s British heritage or a momentary fascination with architectural sculpture, it’s noteworthy that the piece sits across from Donn Ratana’s Export Butter sculpture. Despite being nearly four decades apart, both works contemplate New Zealand’s historical ties to Britain and the complexities of that legacy.CreatorEric Flegg
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InterviewerJoe Harawira - Narrator
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Relates To
Other ItemsUniversity of Waikato Sculpture Trail
Eric Flegg, Gothic 20 (1969). University of Waikato, accessed 18/06/2025, https://onehera.waikato.ac.nz/nodes/view/10605