Arthur Thompson

In the 1950s Thompson worked for Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), the forerunner of Air New Zealand.  TEAL made the most of Thompson’s graphic design talent and colourful art which enticed travellers to destinations throughout the Pacific, including Norfolk Island.

In 1952 TEAL began offering flights to Norfolk Island after it took over the route from New Zealand’s national airline, National Airways Corporation.

Thompson was a commercial artist who worked in New Zealand and Britain. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts and had a successful career as a costume and set designer for film and television in the 1960s.

Te Papa Store Collection of exclusive fine art prints, reproductions are drawn from the Te Papa Collections. Each print is formatted to best represent the works. Each print is sampled and colour tested alongside the original. Te Papa Photography have re-photographed works that may not have been photographed over the last 10 years to ensure Te Papa store has the latest up to date digital files for printing.