Love Guitars? Opening this NZ Music Month on the 25th of May, Medieval to Metal: The Art & Evolution of the Guitar exhibition will be showing at Whirinaki Whare Taonga in Upper Hutt. Medieval to Metal takes us from the Italian lutes of the Middle Ages, to the rock guitars for today, featuring 40 guitars spanning 400 years. Direct from the National Guitar Museum in the USA , and exclusive to Upper Hutt, Medieval to Metal celebrates fingerpickers to shredders, blues to metal, acoustic to electric. You’ll also see guitarware made right from Aotearoa in the exhibition.

Ranging from the intricately inlaid Moorish oud and six-foot long Renaissance theorbo to the modern Italian design of the Eko and transparent acrylic body of California’s BC Rich guitars the exhibition takes visitors through the history of an object that is one of the most recognizable items on the planet.

“The guitar has been a signature element of world culture for more than 500 years; now visitors can explore the design history and artistry that has played a major role in the guitar’s evolution.” explains HP Newquist, Executive Director of the National Guitar Museum and previous editor of Guitar Magazine.

“It’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t been affected by the guitar, whether as players or just fans of all types of music.” Newquist adds, “it’s a widely held belief that the two most recognizable man-made shapes on the planet are those of the Coca-Cola bottle and the electric guitar.” The guitar pervades culture beyond music. It was an integral element of the work of both Vermeer and Picasso, and today it is incorporated into advertising everything from clothes and cars to the Olympics.

Medieval to Metal also includes life-size photorealistic illustrations of historically important guitar designs from noted artist Gerard Huerta, and 20 photographs of acclaimed musicians and their guitars from Neil Zlozower, one of the world’s premier concert photographers.

Director of Whirinaki Leanne Wickham comments that “Medieval to Metal is an experience that gives visitors the chance to interact with the guitar not only from the perspective of its history and design, but through the music it has created. Most homes in Aotearoa have had some kind of guitar played in it, whether it’s a grandad’s old acoustic, your daughters electric or a ukulele. This exhibition celebrates the joy that the guitar brings and what it means for society.”

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Upper Hutt Music Festival will run over Kings Birthday weekend and will feature guitar legends such as Jon Toogood and the New Zealand Guitar Quartet and more.

Medieval to Metal is exclusively at Whirinaki Whare Taonga with entry by donation.

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