KAVANAGH, John, 1903-1984
Portrait of Sir Douglas Robb (Painting)
Painted the year after Douglas Robb was
knighted for services to medicine, this work
shows the maverick medico at ease in his
study, surrounded by his precious book
collection. Light falls on his facial features and
creates a kind of halo effect behind his head.
If the painter seems to have visualised this
medical statesman as the patron saint of the
New Zealand health system, it was with good
cause – he had been campaigning for better
public health for over 20 years.