"The exhibition and this accompanying book are revelatory in bringing to light new research concerning Gottfried Lindauer's personal and professional life, as well as his remarkable painting methods. Conceived for 2015, the year when Pilsen holds centre stage as the European Capital of Culture, this exhibition directs long overdue attention to the Pilsen-born painter who was both an exemplary artist and an innovative pioneer in the field of inter-cultural research and exchange. Lindauer's practice spanned Europe and Aotearoa New Zealand, encompassed early training with the professor from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in the Nazarene School, religious paintings in eastern Moravia, military commissions while in service, and studio paintings of the Burgher community in Pilsen (c. 1870) before emigrating across the globe to find his cultural voice in his portraits of Māori and genre paintings depicting Māori life. These works captured the imagination of the rapidly forming nation that was 19th-century New Zealand."--Foreword.