- The Queenstown home of late artist Tim Wilson is for sale, listed at around $11m.
- Wilson’s work, collected globally, includes a record $575,000 sale to an Abu Dhabi prince.
- The house, built in 2017, features stunning views, high-end finishes, and was a showcase for Wilson’s art.
The Queenstown home and studio of internationally renowned landscape artist Tim Wilson is on the market for sale, following his death in 2020.
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Wilson and his husband, Vaj Ekanayake, built the four-bedroom house on 27 Edinburgh Hill Drive together, intending it to be their dream home, but Ekanayake said it was now time to let it go.
Wilson’s work was collected by buyers from around the world, including singer Shania Twain and controversial US politician Robert F Kennedy Jnr.
His luminous landscapes frequently sold for over $100,000, but in 2016, an Abu Dhabi prince paid $575,000 for one of his artworks – a record price paid for a painting by a living New Zealand artist.
Wilson at work. The artist turned the house into his studio / gallery. Photo / Supplied
Wilson’s work Summer Rains was sold for $575,000 in 2016. Photo / Supplied
Singer Shania Twain is a fan of Wilson’s work. Photo / Getty Images
Wilson and Ekanayake moved to Queenstown in 2009 to be close to the mountains and opened a gallery that drew in the wealthy holidaymakers.
They bought the 1058sqm section at 27 Edinburgh Hill Drive in 2011 for just over $1m, having been won over by the views and its proximity to town.
The couple had always admired the timeless architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and briefed architect Jeremy Kingan after seeing his work for the Jack’s Point clubhouse.
Ekanayake first put the property on the market two years ago, but withdrew it after three months, telling OneRoof that emotionally, it wasn’t the right time to sell. “This time I’m ready now,” he said.
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He has been working on other projects, including showcasing his late husband’s work, and the house had been unoccupied for a time. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful home. I really want someone else to enjoy it every day. That’s the bottom line, because it’s an amazing property,” he said.
The house features double-height windows, kauri ceilings and oak and parquet floors, gold leaf designs on the stairwell and, on the exterior, Oamaru stone cut to match the dimensions of one of Wilson’s famous paintings. Light was a central part of the design, from the translucent glass floor on the walkway to the studio to the skylights.
The kitchen, designed for the couple’s legendary entertaining, features a Falcon cooker, European appliances and a spacious pantry.
The property was inspired by the work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and highlighted Wilson’s connection to nature. Photo / Supplied
The building materials, from the kauri used in the ceiling to the French oak in the floorboards, were hand-picked by Wilson and Ekanayake. Photo / Supplied
The house was a showcase for Wilson’s art, with the lower-floor studio designed for visitors. Ekanayake told OneRoof in 2024 that the studio was his favourite spot, and said he would often sit there with Wilson, handing him brushes.
Ekanayake said crafting the house took nearly four years, a slow process due to Wilson’s meticulous eye for detail, getting materials and craftspeople from Auckland if needed. Budgets flew out the window.
“I worked with the budget, but Tim didn’t have a budget. I said, ‘OK, darling, I know you’re doing it for us’, as a legacy. He was an amazing, amazing man,” he told OneRoof in 2024.
The property took four years to build and has spectacular views. Photo / Supplied
Detail was everything in the three-level house, which has lake and mountain views from nearly every room. “Every single window, Tim wanted to be like one of his paintings, he thought of someone looking through the beautiful landscape,” Ekanayake said.
“My Queenstown life, my journey is, is very different without him. You know, we build everything together, we lived together, and without him, my house is empty for me, it’s just a shadow,” he said.
Listing agent George Passmore, from New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty, said the price guide for the property, which overlooks Queenstown Bay and Lake Wakatipu, was around $11m.
The $6.36m RV, he said, did not do the property justice. “It’s absolutely stunning. The quality of the fit and the finish is absolutely next level. You’ve got French oak flooring, kauri ceilings, you’ve got Ralph Lauren drapes. It’s just a beautiful space.”
He expected there would be strong interest in the home, both locally and internationally: “We are seeing some high-end buyers in the market at the moment and particularly with the OIO/AIP investor category visa hopefully opening up properties quicker to overseas buyers, this may certainly be of interest to that market as well.”
- 27 Edinburgh Drive, Queenstown Hill, Queenstown, is for sale by negotiation
