120177
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Kyle, Elizabeth, née Grainger, 1951- (Person)
SummaryNew Zealand artist born and raised on a dairy farm near Katikati, Bay of Plenty. Educated at Tauranga Girls’ College and trained at the Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, where she was awarded a Diploma of Fine Arts in 1972, majoring in painting and industrial design.
She began her professional career in the early 1970s, producing commissioned murals and public artworks in Tauranga and exhibiting widely in New Zealand, with early work focused on landscape and Māori archetypes. From the 1980s she worked extensively in Australia, establishing private galleries in Victoria and Queensland and continuing to exhibit and undertake illustration commissions, relocating to Melbourne in 1992. From the early 1980s her practice shifted toward brighter colour, symbolic and visionary imagery, and a transcultural, spiritual outlook, with her work described as parabolic and grounded in a lived philosophy of nature, creativity, and healing. Main Body
She began her professional career in the early 1970s, producing commissioned murals and public artworks in Tauranga and exhibiting widely in New Zealand, with early work focused on landscape and Māori archetypes. From the 1980s she worked extensively in Australia, establishing private galleries in Victoria and Queensland and continuing to exhibit and undertake illustration commissions, relocating to Melbourne in 1992. From the early 1980s her practice shifted toward brighter colour, symbolic and visionary imagery, and a transcultural, spiritual outlook, with her work described as parabolic and grounded in a lived philosophy of nature, creativity, and healing. Main Body
"The Centennial Mural, presented to the City Of Tauranga February 27th 1982, in
"Biographical Sketches of The Centennial Mural", Artist Elizabeth J. Grainger, Editor, Ernest E. Bush (1982)
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Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.CopyrightTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesLicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Kyle, Elizabeth, née Grainger, 1951- (Person)
Personal Information
First Name(s)ElizabethSurnameKyleAlso Known asElizabeth GraingerGenderFemaleDate of Birth1951OccupationArtist
Whānau
MotherGrainger, JoanFatherGrainger, Charlie
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AuthorTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City LibrariesType of ContributionLibrary authorityTaxonomyStories | People
Tauranga City Libraries Staff - Harley Couper, Kyle, Elizabeth, née Grainger, 1951- (Person). Pae Korokī, accessed 26/04/2026, https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/120177





