Bowen Galleries stands as one of Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s oldest commercial dealer galleries, blending a 40-year legacy with a vibrant new chapter. Now owned and operated by Helena Walker, the gallery honours its rich history while injecting a renewed, passionate energy.

Functioning as a vital creative hub, the gallery fosters a dynamic, trans-Tasman stable of over 30 established and emerging artists based throughout New Zealand and Australia. Bowen gives its artists the support to develop and for their practice to thrive. Integral to this is the nurturing of meaningful, ongoing dialogues between artists and patrons to fuel and expand the local creative ecosystem.

Bowen Galleries was opened by Jenny Neligan and Neil Rowe, September 1981, behind Lois Daish’s Number 9 café on Bowen Street. Debra Bustin’s opening exhibition quickly established us in the role of showing young artists – during our early years, we had lots of works-on-paper shows, especially young printmakers who had studied at Ilam School of Fine Arts, Canterbury University. In 1983, we had the opportunity to represent Robyn Kahukiwa, and exhibit her series Wāhine Toa, which was a big turning point for the gallery.

Bowen Galleries was forced out of Bowen Street in 1988, finding a suitable place on the Terrace, and ran the gallery side-by-side with Christopher Moore and his gallery until the turn of the millennium. In December 2000, both Bowen Galleries and Christopher Moore Gallery moved into a shared space at 35 Ghuznee Street.

In 2005, Christopher Moore closed his gallery to work full time on art valuations. Penney Moir then joined as a business partner and together Jenny and Penney engaged the help of Sam Martin, architect, to reconfigure the gallery, taking the gallery into a new phase.

However, we had one last change of premises – in September 2009, we moved next door, to 39 Ghuznee Street, which is where you’ll find us now. Thanks to Workshop E and their recommended builder Shane Harper, Heritage Home Building, for the current space.

In September 2021, Bowen Galleries turned 40. We celebrated the milestone with the exhibition About Time – 40 artists celebrate 40 years, curated by Gregory O’Brien. We had a great party for the opening of this exhibition, attended by many of the artists and customers who have kept the gallery going all these years.

In March 2025, nearly 44 years after it opened, the gallery has entered a new era under the ownership of Helena Walker.

Helena first worked at Bowen as a summer intern in 2002, while she was completing her undergraduate degree in Art History and English at University of Canterbury. She went on to establish herself in art valuation and auctions, working at Dunbar Sloane Ltd Wellington & Auckland as well as several years at Bonhams, London in the C19th British & European Paintings department. During these two decades, Helena and Jenny developed a close friendship and Helena was a frequent supporter of Bowen and its artists.  Post-Covid, Helena sought a new direction and completed her Master of Museum and Heritage Practice at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. In 2023, she returned to Bowen to work with Jenny as gallery director, eventually purchasing the gallery in April 2024.

Ka mua kei muri (walking backwards into the future)