John Gibb was a major Canterbury painter specialising in marine subjects. Born in Castlecraig (Scotland) he studied art under John MacKenzie of Greenock. Gibb attended the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and the West of Scotland Institute.
He arrived in Christchurch in 1876 and set up a studio, taking on pupils and began exhibiting his work. He is known for his Canterbury and West Coast landscapes in addition to his marine painting.
Gibb exhibited widely in New Zealand, in Australia and at the St. Louis Exposition, USA. His son William Menzies Gibb followed his footsteps and became a painter of landscapes and portraits.