AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.-A significant painting gifted to the people of Auckland by art dealer Denis Cohn is on display at Auckland Art Gallery. Cohn was one of Auckland’s most influential art dealers in the 1970s and 80s, supporting the careers of many artists including Tony Fomison, Philip Clairmont and Alan Maddox.

He died suddenly in Fiji last month, aged 73. A memorial service is being held at St Matthewin-the-city this Saturday at 11am. Senior curator Ron Brownson says Cohn was a generation ahead of his time. He could sense new trends before others and his critiques of works were often contrary to prevailing views. “Denis was known for his incisive eye. He could recognise artistic quality in a nanosecond.”

The astute dealer bought Vase of Flowers (below) just two years after it was painted in 1965 by Teuane Tibbo, the first Samoan artist to exhibit in New Zealand. The charming still life is now recognised as one of the artist’s finest paintings and has already become an icon of the gallery’s Pacific collection. “It’s a real gem. Tibbo’s works recall her childhood in Samoa. They are direct and spontaneous, evoking feelings of happiness and love,” says Brownson. Cohn and his partner Bil Vernon gifted the work not long before he died. They had planned to see it on display in the exhibition Hei Konei Mai: We’ll Meet Again but did not make it back to New Zealand in time.

The work has received a rapturous response from the public since it was unveiled on 18 December. Vase of Flowers postcards are outselling all others in the Gallery Shop.