The database contains some 1600 works, including paintings and drawings. While it is by no means a complete catalogue of works, it is nevertheless the most comprehensive collection of McCahon's work currently available. (The database will be expanded over time as resources allow.) The database will allow users to see McCahon's work in new ways. For instance, his use of series can be better appreciated. In a few cases we have been able to re-assemble major multi-part works which, although originally conceived as single units, were broken up for sale.

The data presented here is limited to basic description of works. In a few cases, particularly for McCahon's early period, works have been included which have not been sighted, and for which there is no available image. It is important that these works should be recorded on the database and they will be expanded as further data becomes available.

The Data Fields

Record number: each artwork in the database has a unique number. The number has no significance beyond being an identifier.

Title: a note on the use of brackets. In the title field, ( ) indicate brackets used by McCahon in a title, while [ ] indicate a title or additional information supplied subsequently. However, in all other fields where cataloguing terms are enclosed in ( ), his own use of brackets is indicated by [ ].

Date: McCahon dated some works retrospectively and at some remove in time. These dates were not always accurate. In a few cases McCahon's date has been corrected by G.H. Brown. Where this is the case McCahon's date appears in the date field followed by the alternative in brackets. A date preceded by c., indicates that the work was not dated by McCahon and suggests a range of 5 years either side of an estimated date. eg. c. 1965.

Series title: where artworks can be identified as belonging to a particular series, the series title is included.

Medium: the material(s) used to make the image eg. oil paint.

Support: the material to which the the medium is applied.

Dimensions are all in millimeters, height x width (x depth if relevant).

Signature and date: the precise form and location of the artist's signature and the date, if inscribed. Location abbreviations: lower left = l.l.; lower center = l.c.; lower right = l.r.; upper left = u.l.; etc.

Extended inscriptions are McCahon's written notations inscribed on the artwork (and its reverse), but which are not part of the image. (The words in a McCahon 'word painting' are considered part of the image.) These may include; signature and date; title and series title; hanging instructions; etc.

Collection: public, institutional and corporate collections are listed.

Creditline: is a formal acknowledgment of the means by which an artwork has entered a public collection.

Accession number: is a unique identifying number given to an artwork when it enters a public collection.

Exhibition histories are not available for all entries. Where available, they are limited to initial exhibition venue and important public gallery exhibitions.

Comments are generally confined to the basic description of the artwork or the circumstances of its production. Contextual and archival material will be added, as resources allow.

COPYRIGHT IN THIS DATABASE AND IN THE WORKS OF COLIN McCAHON IS THE PROPERTY OF THE COLIN McCAHON RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION TRUST. ALL COPYRIGHT INQUIRIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO;

The Secretary

The Colin McCahon Research and Publication Trust

c/o Auckland Art Gallery

PO Box 5449

Auckland