BY JUSTINE OLSEN
A Treasure Trove of Design
The Walter C Cook Collection of Decorative Arts is one of the treasures of Te Papa. Built up over a twenty-five-year period by Walter Cook, a discerning and determined collector of modest means, its glass, ceramic and metal objects track the evolution of design from the Arts and Crafts movement through to the British and European modernism of the 1970s.
The world’s leading designers – William Morris, Christopher Dresser, Archibald Knox, William Moorcroft, Frank Brangwyn, Charles Noke, Gladys Rogers, Truda Carter, Susie Cooper, Keith Murray, Stig Lindberg, Berte Jessen, Carl-Harry Stålhane and so many more – all feature in its pages.
Richly illustrated with over 300 objects, from art pottery to Danish design, this book showcases the stars of the collection while offering an engaging short course in design history.
About the Author
Justine Olsen has worked at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa since 2009 as Curator Decorative Art and Design. A Curator of Applied Art at Auckland Museum from 1988 to 1993, her research, publication and exhibition interests lie in New Zealand and international design, especially relating to the way knowledge is disseminated. Her special interests include the Walter Cook collection and the impact of modernism on New Zealand design and contemporary practices including studio jewellery and ceramics. With Michael Fitzgerald, she co-curated the 2012 Te Papa exhibition Walter Cook: A Collector’s Quest.
Look inside Towards Modernism: The Walter Cook Collection at Te Papa (link is external)
Publication: June 2025
Pages: 408
Format: Limpbound with jacket