In 1953 Colin McCahon moved from Christchurch to Auckland, where he eventually obtained a job as keeper and deputy director of the Auckland Art Gallery. The director at the time was Peter Tomory, and together the two greatly encouraged the display of modernist and abstract painting. McCahon's work also moved in the direction of more abstraction. He is shown here in 1963 in the attic studio of the gallery with some of his own works – some strongly abstract images featuring gates, and others with his characteristic use of text. McCahon's presence in Auckland signalled the growing leadership of the city in modern painting in the late 1950s and 1960s.