Nigel Brown was born in Invercargill
in 1949. He attended Auckland University's Elam School of Fine Arts
where he studied under Colin McCahon, Garth Tapper and Robert
Ellis, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1972.
Brown's works are fundamentally a form
of New Zealand Expressionism strewn with a vocabulary of symbols in
the context of allegory. They carry with them a strength of purpose
in the handling of specific subject matter, as Brown focuses on
fundamental human concerns, creating poignant social commentary in
his works. This 'voice' is clearly expressed in the
pointedly political anti-nuclear stance of his contribution to
the famous Va'ana peace mural at the corner of
Karangahape and Ponsonby Roads in Auckland.
As Brown explains of his work, 'I want a human face to my art.
Art can be a product of a person in the deepest sense. My concern
is with the dilemma of modern existence… the ongoing frailty of
humanity's material - moral and spiritual. I use the self and what
happens to me as my starting point, but finally the works seek to
go beyond that. I am an earthy painter concerned with the "drama"
of suburban existence.'