Rinitawa Art + History

Gottfried Lindauer Replica Studio

Bohemian born portrait artist, Gottfried Lindauer, had a long association with Woodville. After living something of an itinerant life painting Maori & European portraits, in 1890 he built a house and studio on four hectares on Pinfold Rd. Lindauer continued to work there until 1918 when his failing eyesight made him something of a recluse. His last years were spent quietly in Woodville and he died on 13th June 1926 aged 87. He is buried in the old Gorge Cemetery beneath the Ruahine Ranges, with a small granite tombstone curved in the shape of an artist’s palette and the simple inscription reads ‘ Gottfried Lindauer – Artist’. The Studio contains furniture and prints of Gottfried Lindauer’s paintings. Maori referred to Lindauer as Rinitawa.