George O’Brien

George O'Brien (1821-1888), an Irish architect and painter, came to New Zealand via Australia during the gold rush of 1863. He found work as a draughtsman and civil engineer, and began exhibiting with the Otago Arts Society.

Friendly with several contemporary Dunedin artists, O’Brien went with them on sketching expeditions; later he moved to the North Island, painting in the Rotorua district and in Auckland. His watercolours are delicate and precise and are historically very valuable records. Reproduced as prints by Avon Fine Prints O’Brien’s paintings shown here are a lovely series of views of early Dunedin.