From 2004 until 2015, Gauldie served as New Zealand’s official Defence Force Artist, initially appointed as Army Artist and later encompassing roles with the Army, Navy and Air Force. He voluntarily completed basic recruit training to gain insight into military culture. Subsequently, he undertook multiple overseas deployments, including Afghanistan, East Timor, and the Solomon Islands, and visited historic war sites in France, Turkey, Egypt, and Belgium. These experiences produced major exhibitions such as Within the Ranks at Canterbury Museum and the Return of the Unknown Warrior series, commissioned by the New Zealand Government and deeply informed by family ties to the First World War.
In 2015, Gauldie completed a landmark public sculpture installed in Hamilton’s Victoria Street, a 3.5-metre bronze of war artist Sapper Horace Moore-Jones. The work is set on Gallipoli stone gifted by Turkey and Çanakkale, symbolising a shared history of conflict and commemoration. He later collaborated with writer Shona Riddell on The Tale of the Anzac Tortoise, featuring Gauldie’s watercolours, to bring historical narratives to younger audiences. The New Zealand Parliamentary Collection has also acquired a small bronze sculpture titled Hongi at Gallipoli by Gauldie.
Beyond military subjects, Gauldie immerses himself in a diverse spectrum of communities and environments. Inspired by New Zealand’s native birds, a recent sculpture captures the endangered Kea in a moment of movement, lifting one foot, suggesting a dynamic sense of motion as it steps forward. Gauldie’s use of patinas enhances his subjects, and in works such as Kea, the combination of the bronze’s rich brown hues with the patina’s green accents creates a captivating contrast, emphasising the sculpture’s lifelike qualities.
Gauldie’s Harmony series celebrates the universal language of music through a collection of bronze sculptures depicting musicians immersed in their craft, inspired by his teenage years living in Hawaii. Each figure is captured mid-performance, and their stance and gesture convey rhythm, concentration, and connection. Here, Gauldie’s textured surfaces of the bronze are highlighted through patinas with bursts of colour, from the turquoise floral shorts of a bass player to the warm metallic tones of a strumming guitarist or a soulful saxophonist. Evoking both the intimacy of a small jam session and the energy of live performance, these works reflect Gauldie’s skill in blending character, narrative and cultural familiarity, offering a timeless tribute to music’s power to unite people.
Gauldie’s early paintings portray rural shearers, orchard workers, jockeys at racecourses, burlesque performers in Wellington and iwi in Northland, all rendered in bold, expressive strokes. More recently, the artist completed several works featuring New Zealand’s coastline and sea birds, painted in oil on aluminium, framing each by hand in reclaimed timber.
Born in Lower Hutt in 1976, Gauldie spent his later school years in Hawaii, earning awards and commissions. He returned to New Zealand in 1995 to study at Elam School of Art and Design under mentors such as Don Binney, Dick Frizzell and Damian Skinner, the latter instilling in him a profound appreciation of New Zealand’s artistic identity.
Gauldie’s dynamic paintings and sculptural works have been showcased in over 22 solo exhibitions and many group shows, residencies, and fellowships. His works are held in public collections, including museums and private holdings across New Zealand.
Parnell Gallery has represented Matt Gauldie since 2002.