Avenal McKinnon


Avenal Beryl Elizabeth McKinnon is an art historian and writer from New Zealand. She was the founding director of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkena Whakaata.

Biography

McKinnon was born and raised in Christchurch and attended Woodford House in Havelock North, in the North Island, from 1962 to 1966. She completed a degree in English literature at the University of Canterbury followed by a post-graduate art history course at London's Courtauld Institute of Art. In the 1970s, she worked at the Tate, cataloguing the modern British collection.
She was appointed the first director of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in 2005, retiring in 2014. During her tenure, the gallery expanded its permanent collection from six works to more than 200. It also moved into dedicated premises in Shed 11 on Queen’s Wharf.
McKinnon is considered an expert on the work of New Zealand artist Frances Hodgkins and has written articles and exhibition catalogues on her work.

Publications

In the 2015 New Year Honours, McKinnon was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the arts. In 2018, Woodford House awarded her the Tempus Award for outstanding achievement by a former student in her field.

Personal life

McKinnon is the daughter of property developer Owen Gough. She has a twin brother, Antony Gough, and two other brothers, Tracy and Harcourt. She is married to New Zealand diplomat John McKinnon.