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Story: Public and street art

James Turkington's 'Wahine' mural, 1966

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James Turkington's 'Wahine' mural, 1966

James Turkington was the most prominent mid-20th-century muralist in New Zealand, but very few of his works survive in the 21st century. His mural 'Wahine' (1966) nearly met a watery end when it sank with the passenger ship of the same name off the Wellington coast in 1968. it was salvaged from the wreck.

Using this item

Museum of Wellington City and Sea

Reference: 1972.3.1

by James Turkington

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Public and street art – Murals, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/44473/james-turkingtons-wahine-mural-1966 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 12 March 2014.