A grain of wheat, 1970
| Record number | cm001022 |
| Title | A grain of wheat |
| Date | 1970 |
| Medium | synthetic polymer paint |
| Support | unstretched canvas |
| Dimensions | 2080 x 3435 mm |
| Inscriptions | A GRAIN OF WHEAT. McCahon MURIWAI FEB.'70 (brushpoint, b.l.) |
| Collection | Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington |
| Credit line | Purchased 1978 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds |
| Accession number | 1978-0009-2 |
| Extended inscriptions |
IN TRUTH in very truth I tell you a grain of wheat remains a solitary grain unless it falls into the ground and DIES but if it dies it becomes a rich harvest |
| Exhibition history |
1970 Auckland: Colin McCahon: Recent Paintings: Victory Over Death, or, Practical Religion, Barry Lett Galleries, 2-15 March 1970, cat. no. 6. 1972 Wellington: [Paintings by Colin McCahon], Peter McLeavey Gallery, 6-24 March 1972, cat. no. 2, $1300. 1996 Amsterdam: Under Capricorn. The World Over. Art in the Age of Globalisation, Stedelijk Museum, 28 June–18 August 1996. |
| Notes | The text is John 12:24, from the New English Bible. |