Bessie Christie
Elizabeth Froomes Christie (3 August 1904 – 9 March 1983) was a New Zealand painter.
Also recorded as Elizabeth Froomes Christie
Bessie Christie
- Name
- Bessie Christie
- Birth Name
- Elizabeth Froomes Christie
- Born
- 3 August 1904
- Birthplace
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Died
- 9 March 1983
- Place of death
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Education
- Elam School of Fine Art
- Known for
- Painting
- Nationality
- New Zealand
- Occupation
- painter · printmaker
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Elizabeth Froomes Christie (3 August 1904 – 9 March 1983) was a New Zealand painter.
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Note VALÉORINE
Bessie Christie (1904–1983) was a painter and printmaker, of New Zealand nationality. The painter was born in Wellington and died in Auckland. Bessie Christie was educated at Elam School of Fine Arts. Works are held at Auckland Art Gallery and Fletcher Trust Collection.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q27924048 · wikipedia · Bessie Christie
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Bessie Christie • Birth Name — Elizabeth Froomes Christie • Born — 3 August 1904 • Birthplace — Wellington, New Zealand • Died — 9 March 1983 • Place of death — Auckland, New Zealand • Education — Elam School of Fine Art • Known for — Painting
Career
Career
Born in Wellington on 3 August 1904, Christie trained at the Elam School of Fine Art at the University of Auckland. She taught art at Takapuna Grammar School between 1935 and 1940. During World War II she was a driver in the New Zealand Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and her paintings were included in the 1944 Artists in Uniform exhibition. Although Christie did paint some landscapes in oils, she preferred to break with her contemporaries and depict vibrant social scenes, specifically set in Auckland. Works include: Geddes' Stable Yard and Tobacco Queue, Karangahape Rd, Auckland. During her career she was represented by the Auckland Art Gallery.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Christie exhibited with the Auckland Society of Arts (of which she was a member from 1933) throughout the 1950s, exhibiting alongside A. Lois White, May Smith, Helen Brown, and Frances Hunt. She also exhibited with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and the Rutland Group, an organisation formed by students from the Elam School of Fine Art.
Death
Death
Christie died in Auckland on 9 March 1983, and her body was cremated at Purewa Crematorium.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Wellington.
Birth place
Auckland.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Christie, Bessie. Find New Zealand artists: a database of artist names.
- 2.Auckland Art Gallery. Bessie Christie.
- 3.Department of Internal Affairs. Birth search: registration number 1904/10386. Births, deaths & marriages online.
- 4.Bessie Christie. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz.
- 5.Tobacco Queue, Karangahape Rd, Auckland. www.fletchercollection.co.nz.
- 6.Auckland War Memorial Museum. New Zealand artists in uniform: exhibition of paintings and drawings.
- 7.Artists exhibited with Auckland Society of Arts. Find New Zealand artists: a database of artist names.
- 8.Artists exhibited with Rutland Group. Find New Zealand artists: a database of artist names.
- 9.Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium. Burial & cremation details.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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