The Lindauer Exhibition, which opened at Berlin's National Gallery in November last year in Germany, is breaking visitor records.
Reports to the Auckland Art Gallery estimate 2000 visitors a day arriving to see Lindauer's portraits of our ancestors.
Since its arrival at the Nationalgalerie art gallery in Germany, thousands of people have been intrigued and amazed by the exhibition.
Ngahiraka Mason from Toi o Tāmaki says, "They are captivated with Māori as a people. They are surprised that we still exist and that we're still practising our traditional customs of tattooing, weaving and other customs."
On its international journey, the exhibition will be taken to Lindauer's home town of Pilsen in the Czech Republic.
Mason says, "None of his work on this scale has ever been to his hometown. He still has family there, so it's only proper that we approach this homecoming under our Māori custom of remembering the dead."
The Lindauer treasures return to NZ at the end of this year. There will be one large exhibition next year at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, where descendants can view the portraits in person.
Mason says, "I encourage everyone to come and see the portraits of their ancestors which will be decorating the walls of this gallery for the final showing of the Lindauer Exhibition."