WILLIAMS, Mervyn, 1940-
Midas Finds his Soul (Print)
Established in 1964 by Auckland gallerist Kees
Hos and philanthropist Dr Walter Auburn, the
New Zealand Print Council flourished for over a
decade before slowly going into eclipse.
Guaranteed exhibitions in the nation’s major
public galleries as members, artists quickly
joined. Mervyn Williams, a Whakatane-born
artist who had studied painting at Elam
part-time in 1957 and 1958, but who never
completed his diploma, was one of the first to
take up membership. Working as a dinnerware
designer for Crown Lynn in West Auckland
alongside Frank Carpay, he had met immigrant
artist Ted Dutch who taught him how to make
serigraphs or silkscreen prints.