Margot Philips
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Margot Leonie Luise Philips | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 April 1902 Duisburg, Germany |
| Died | 30 December 1988 (aged 86) |
| Occupation | Painter |
Margot Leonie Luise Philips (5 April 1902 – 30 December 1988)[1] was a New Zealand painter. Her artworks are held in the collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki[2] and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[3]
Philips was born to a Jewish family in Duisburg, Germany, the youngest of five children. Philips' father died while she was young, and by the early 1920s she was living at home to support her mother. Her parents died shortly after World War I, and Philips left Germany in 1935 to live in London, before travelling in 1958 to New Zealand to follow her brother Kurt Philips and his wife Trude, who opened Hamilton's first European-style restaurant, Vienna Cafe.[4][5] The restaurant was known for its potato salad, eel, goulash and good coffee.[6] The family faced discrimination when World War II broke out, as they were classified as "enemy aliens" and required to report weekly to the police.[6] Philips worked in the restaurant upon her arrival in New Zealand,[2] and through waiting tables Philips became friends with Te Puea Herangi (Princess Te Puea).[4]
