Rob Gardiner
Date of birth
1933
Place of birth
Nationality
Biography
Rob Gardiner, formerly of Hamilton contributed greatly to the Hamilton art scene. As founder and chairman of the Chartwell Art Trust he established a massive collection of contemporary painting and for a while housed and exhibited the works in his Contemporary Art Gallery, Victoria street in the old Hamilton Hotel premises. He placed the collection on long term loan with the Waikato Museum of art and History with the intention the city would eventually inherit the well over a million dollar treasure. Unfortunately the then Mayor and a few councillors decided he should pay for the storage and management of his collection. In disgust he eventually moved to Auckland, taking the entire collection which now resides in the Auckland Art Gallery.
