Paul Annear

Paul Geoffrey Annear (17 October 1947 in Wellington, New Zealand – 24 April 2016 in Phnom Penh) was a New Zealand contemporary jeweller.[1][2]

Annear completed a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and psychology in 1973, but later dismissed his degree as 'unimportant'.[3] As a jeweller, Annear was self-taught, like many of his contemporaries.[3]

Annear's early work was made in silver, and he also made paintings early in his career.[3] In 1976 Annear read Theo Schoon's book Jade Country, and a few years later the work of John Edgar further piqued his interest in pounamu (New Zealand greenstone).[3] On a 1986 trip to the west coast of New Zealand's South Island Annear gathered his first pieces of pounamu, and the material became very important for him.[3][4] In 1991 he was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship to study ancient jade carvings in Asia, Europe, and North America.[5]

In a 1988 article for Craft New Zealand craft historian Helen Schamroth discussed Annear's work, with particular reference to his 'bangles'.[3] She wrote:

Not all of them are necessarily wearable - rather they function as visual objects. 'Bangle' seems an easily recognisable descriptive label he uses to describe a series of circular and cylindrical forms. It seems of little consequence that the aperture might be too tight to fit over a hand, or that a hollow cylindrical shape would imprison the arm. By simplifying the imagery Paul has in fact driven the function out, leaving a form, a shape to be admired, sculpture rather than jewellery.[3]

Annear was one of twelve artists selected for the 1988 Bone Stone Shell exhibition, a touring exhibition developed by the New Zealand Craft Council for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to "show overseas audiences the new and important direction of New Zealand jewellery".[6] The works Annear made for Bone Stone Shell were all made of pounamu: he noted in the exhibition catalogue that 'Jade is the material that dominates my work at this time'.[7] He described his work from this time as being inspired by an ‘imagined neolithic culture’ rather than specifically Māori forms: the strong geometric shapes of the pieces are derived from arrowheads, adzes and other implements.[8]

From 1991 to 1996 Annear was a member of the contemporary jewellers collective, the Fingers group.[9] His work was included in the 1993 survey of New Zealand jewellery Open Heart, curated by Elena Gee for The Dowse Art Museum.[10] He also experimented with cast glass as a medium, with music and with animation, and in 2003 published The Artist – a colouring book for adults.[5]

Annear retired to Cambodia in about 2000, where he continued to make jewellery.[5] He died in Cambodia in April 2016.[11]

Annear's work is held in a number of New Zealand public collections, including Auckland War Memorial Museum,[12] The Dowse Art Museum[11] and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[13]