Billy Apple, born Barrie Bates in Auckland in 1935 and died in 2021, was a New Zealand artist associated with the Pop art of New York and London in the 1960s and with conceptual art in the 1970s. His work is best understood through its interest in branding, the market and the economics of the art world.
After studying at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, he left for London in 1959 on a scholarship and attended the Royal College of Art until 1962, where he met David Hockney and Pauline Boty. In 1962 he changed his name to Billy Apple. In 1964 he moved to New York, where he took part in The American Supermarket exhibition, and he is regarded as one of the pioneers of neon in art. In 1969 he founded Apple, an alternative exhibition space on West Twenty-Third Street.
During the 1980s his practice focused on the economics of art, with the Transactions series, made from real payment receipts for works. In 1983 he made a solid gold apple, a piece of considerable value for its time. After returning to New Zealand in 1990, he received retrospectives in Wellington and Auckland. His legacy lies in questioning the value of the artwork and the artist as a brand.