Fantastica: The World of Leo Bensemann

Abstract

Fantastica: The World of Leo Bensemann represents the culmination of thirty years of research into this artist, typographer and printer (1912-1986) who was a pivotal figure in the vibrant artistic scene in Christchurch for over 50 years. My work on Bensemann encompasses three edited books: Fantastica (1997), Engravings on Wood (2004) and Dark Arts (2011) – the last named listed below (ORO 2) – two exhibitions, Rita Angus & Leo Bensemann: The Cambridge Terrace Years (1999) and the exhibition listed as NRO2, Leo Bensemann A Fantastic Art Venture, co-curated with Noel Waite (2011), plus numerous articles, lectures and talks. I am considered the leading authority on Bensemann’s work. The book was widely and positively reviewed, as indicated below. One reviewer said: ‘One of the strengths of this overall project is its bringing together of all facets of Bensemann’s incredibly diverse practice that are often kept at arm’s length. …Invaluable on its own terms, the publication gains full force when placed within Simpson’s extended body of work on and around Bensemann, offering one of this country’s most sustained and forceful models of art historical investigation. (Aaron Lister, Journal of New Zealand Art History, Vol. 32, 2011, pp. 129-131.)