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THE SOUTH AFRICAN
ART ART TIMETIMESSIssue : July 2009
Full free edition available at
www.arttimes.co.za
1 Year’s subscription R 180
includes South African Business Art
Supplement
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Johannesburg to get Kentridge’s Fire Walker
Published monthly by Global Art Information
PO Box 15881 Vlaeberg, 8018
Tel. 021 424 7733 Fax. 021 424 7732
Baring traces of its former life in the
cycle of industrial commerce its face
brick facade does little to betray its
new incarnation as a multi-use arts
hub. So it’s a surprise when one
enters the Arts on Main development
in the east of Joburg’s inner city to
fi nd oneself in the centre of an über
trendy centre boasting a grassy
courtyard studded with lemon trees.
But it is still early days in this much
awaited centre’s existence. The
Canteen, a fashionable eatery, which
fl anks one side of the courtyard, is
only one of a handful of establish-
ments that is already up-and-running.
But with a host of studios and exhibi-
tions spaces nearing completion
one is able to get glimpse into the
future of this pioneering art centre,
which will see a range of established
artists, gallerists and art institutions
settled in one destination. It is a fi rst
for Joburg. With assortment of arts
practitioners working cheek-by-jowl,
Arts On Main will more than likely
foster an intimate ambience – or at
least deepen existing associations.
For example, the Goodman Gallery’s
new project space at the centre is a
stone’s throw from the kingpin of their
stable: William Kentridge, who has
snapped up a humongous new stu-
dio. Other artists from the Goodman
stable such as Rosenclaire (Claire
Gavronsky and Rose Shakinovsky)
and Mikhael Subtotsky will also be
nearby in more modest workshops.
The centre’s edgy location seems to
have encouraged residents towards
embracing experimental art activities.
Goethe on Main, a derivative of the
Goethe Arts Institute, will be a venue
for unconventional art initiatives such
as its current exhibit, Trolleyworks, by
social art activist, Ismail Farouk. The
Goodman Gallery have envisioned
that their new space will also facilitate
alter native projects and installations
and are, therefore, hoping that this
New Arts Axis for Johannesburg
Staff writer
The city of Joburg is to get its fi rst
Kentridge, in the shape of a monu-
mental public sculpture, entitled
The Fire Walker, the Weekender
reports. The work is a collabora-
tion with Gerhard Marx and will be
constructed of laser-cut steel plates,
standing 10 m tall. According to
an article posted by Bongani Nkosi
and Lucille Davie on Joburg.org.za,
the piece will be up by the end of
June, and will be positioned at the
Newspaper rights: The newspaper reserves the right to reject any material that could be found offensive by its
readers. Opinions and views expressed in the SA Art Times do not necessarily represent the offi cial viewpoint of
the editor, staff or publisher, while inclusion of advertising features does not imply the newspaper’s endorsement
of any business, product or service. Copyright of the enclosed material in this publication is reserved.
News: [email protected]
Shows: [email protected]
Artwork: [email protected]
Editor: Gabriel Clark-Brown [email protected]
Advertising: Eugene Fisher [email protected]
Subscriptions: Bastienne Klein [email protected]
PieterWenningArtistssupplment inside
Arts on Main will fosterexperi men tation and see artistsand art insti tutions working closely, writes Mary Corrigall
continued on page 3
continued on page 3
A Cape Town Museum of Art?
South African National Gallery
The manner in which the Natale Labia
museum was abandoned by Iziko is a
blot on its hapless history as ‘fl agship’
manager of Cape Town’s cultural
institutions – with the overseeing
department of public works and the
one responsible for arts and culture
as hapless accessories to the crime.
MelvynMinnaar
continued on page 3Image : joburg.org.za
An art collector views “The Centre vs. Periphery Ultimate Cage Fight” by Avante Car Guard at the Brodie Stevenson
Gallery, Johannesburg. To see AVG Show see www.www.brodiestevenson.comcontinued on page 3
new outlet will become a platform for
up-and-coming artists from outside
their existing stable.
“As a leading contemporary gallery
we really wanted to establish a project
space. Our schedule at the Goodman
is so busy that we don’t have the
fl exibility to work with younger artists
and give them a chance to show,”
observes Liza Esser, owner of the
Goodman Gallery franchise.
Arts on Main is the brainchild of
twenty-seven-year-old Jonathan
Liebmann, an ambitious and astute
property developer with a penchant
for the east side of Joburg’s inner
city, which has not to date been the
target of revitalisation projects. He
obviously shares an affi nity with the
visual arts – no doubt fostered by
his familial connections (he is the
son of Benji Liebmann of the Nirox
Foundation) – but his plan to gentrify
this industrial part of town was also
dependent on setting up an arts
related development. He is well
aware that the gentrifi cation cycle
of cities tends to begin with artists.
London’s Shoreditch and New York’s
Soho are cases in point.
“Artists want to be part of regenerat-
ing a city. I think they also see the
value in areas more than others.
The structure and volume of space
particular to industrial properties also
August 4 and 5 in Rosebank,
Johannesburg, sees the staging of
a remarkable two day auction with
its focal session being on the
Tuesday evening, featuring some
230 paintings, drawings and
sculptures, the bulk of them South
African works. Some of the art
represents pinnacles from the
lifeworks of the artists involved, and
their release onto the local market
is a significant event. Stephan Welz
& Company, in association with
Sotheby’s, is pleased to issue the
following sneak preview details of
each of the four sessions.
It all starts on Tuesday 4 August at
14h00 with a session including
books and maps, then on through
ceramics, metalware and silverware.
Of over 80 lots of books, a remark-
able collection of original manu-
scripts and first editions of the
works of Sarah Gertrude Millin will
be certain to attract bibliographic
attention, as will a number of lots
from her book collection inscribed
to her by various political and
literary luminaries. Lot 96 is of
particular cartographic and
collectable interest, being a first
issue John Speed, London 1626,
map of Africa with a frieze of cities
and peoples of the times with a
woodcut imprint on the reverse
indicating its first issue status.
It is conservatively estimated at
R16 000 - R20 000. In the ceramics
section, Lot 112 is an assembled
Belleek ‘Neptune’ green tint part tea
service from the Second Period
1891-1926, notable for the
inclusion of a much sought-after
matching 45cm tray. The set
is pre-sale estimated at R6 000 -
R8 000. The lot most likely to attract
top level bidding is Lot 122, a pair
of William Moorcroft ‘Eventide’
pattern vases at R20 000 - R25 000.
In silverware, competitive bidding is
expected generally for this popular
section, but with specific attention
likely to focus on Lot 176, a German
19th century 800 standard silver
jardinière estimated at R7 000 -
R9 000 and Lot 201, a large circular
silver bowl by Charles Boyton of
London, 1939, in martelé finish
(R3 000 - R5 000).
That evening, at 18h30, the mood
and tempo will be upbeat as South
African art comes under the
hammer in the best place for it, here
in South Africa in the sale rooms of
the country’s best-established
auctioneering company. It’s difficult
to pick stars from the stellar selec-
tion, but the cover lot would seem
to fit all criteria including appro-
priate timing. It is Lot 326, used by
the company to ‘front’ the entire
sale, a Cecil Skotnes (South African
1926-2009) work entitled ‘Three
Standing Figures’, a carved, incised
and painted wood panel 122 by
120cm and estimated at R300 000
to R500 000.
Of equal import, four works from
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (South
African 1886-1957) are to be
offered, two of which, Lots 248 and
249, being sure to attract interest in
the upper financial bracket. Lot 248,
‘An Extensive Landscape with an
Aloe in the Foreground’ (R800 000 -
R1 200 000) and Lot 249, ‘Karoo
Landscape’ (R700 000 - R1 000 000)
provide ample proof of the
inimitable talents of this artist
across a broad executional and
stylistic base and, at the same time,
deliver investment potential and
ownership pleasure for collectors
and investors alike.
In relative terms, for the more
conservative budget compared
to the rarified atmosphere of the
foregoing, a range of paintings from
much-favoured artists has been
consigned to auction in the R50 000
to R300 000 region. As examples,
Lot 219, a Jan Ernst Abraham
Volschenk, ‘Wood-Clad Mountains,
George’, estimated at R150 000 -
R200 000 can claim considerable
appeal, as can Lot 227, a Pieter
Hugo Naudé entitled ‘River
Landscape’ (R80 000 - R120 000).
To further illustrate the breadth of
appeal, examples abound, including
Lot 242, a rare Dorothy Kay mayoral
portrait of Clifford Bell Payne,
Mayor of Walmer 1941-1947,
catalogued at R200 000 - R300 000,
Lot 381 a still life from Irmin Henkel
(R80 000 - R120 000) and Lot 435,
a Judith Mason mixed media in
relief work entitled ‘Tourist Photo’
at R50 000 - R70 000.
Carter, Mayer, Oerder, Domsaitis,
Roworth, De Jongh, Laubser, Stern,
Coetzer, Sumner, Battiss, Klar,
Boonzaier, McCaw, Villa, Ngatane,
Bhengu, Tretchikoff, Rose-Innes,
Van Heerden, Büchner, Fasciotti,
Boshoff and many more … a
veritable feast for collectors of taste
and discernment.
On Wednesday 5 August, interest
will be maintained in the 10h00
morning session by carpets & rugs,
furniture, clocks, pocket watches
and a spectacular array of
wristwatches.
The carpets on offer include Lot 451,
a four-strip North-West Persian
decorated cover, c1900, estimated at
R8 000 - R12 000. The furniture
section features Lot 500, a Victorian
rosewood secrétaire Wellington
Chest, c1855, pre-sale estimated at
R10 000 - R12 000, Lot 530, a 19th
century Italian walnut and marquetry
commode (R15 000 - R20 000) and
Lot 536, a most unusual late French
onyx, marble, gilt-metal and
champlevé column, late 19th/early
20th century, 120cm high and
estimated at R9 000 - R12 000.
Timepieces in their various forms
have emerged as stars of the
company’s broad-based auction
categories, and this sale is no
exception, with the session moving
on to longcase clocks, featuring Lot
553, an imposing 19th century
230cm oak clock pre-sale estimated
at R18 000 - R24 000. The session
then progresses to wristwatches
where no fewer than 40 examples
are to be auctioned. Featured are
Lot 608, a gentleman’s 18ct gold
Cartier Divan automatic wristwatch
(R45 000 - R65 000), Lot 612, a
gentleman’s IWC Schaffhausen Big
Ingenieur stainless steel automatic
wristwatch (R66 000 - R68 000) and
Lot 624, a quite superb and highly
sought-after gentleman’s 18ct white
gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual
Chronograph ‘Daytona’ wristwatch,
circa 2004 (R115 000 - R120 000).
The fourth session of this two day
auction is scheduled for 14h00 on
Wednesday 5 August and is
dedicated to one of the most
exciting jewellery sessions seen for
some time. With just under two
hundred lots of antique, period,
contemporary and modern
jewellery on offer, it’s difficult to
illustrate the breadth of appeal
which spans unset diamonds from
around one-half up to over three
carats, diamond rings galore,
brooches, pendants, bracelets,
gemstones, pearls and more.
The company’s departmental head,
Eva Miklas, also a director and
auctioneer, pinpointed four lots of
particular interest. Lot 646 is an
early Victorian
diamond cluster
brooch, circa 1840,
composed of flower-
heads and leaves in
18ct gold, silver
fronted, and set with
rose-cut and old
miner’s-cut diamonds,
estimated at R40 000 -
R60 000. From the
Victorian era, circa
1870, comes Lot 648,
a diamond and pearl
brooch highlighted with rose-cut
diamonds on 15ct gold, silver
fronted (R30 000 - R40 000). Of
about the same age, Lot 649 is
a Victorian serpent-form necklace
employing an enamelled and garnet
design, pre-sale estimated at
R30 000 - R40 000. Then, from
Garrard of London circa 1940,
Lot 678 (R20 000 - R30 000) is a
platinum brooch set with a total of
approximately 4.50cts in total.
Stephan Welz & Company, in
association with Sotheby’s, looks
forward to this being a significant
sale across a wide range of
consignments. The following times
and dates apply.
VIEWING Friday 31 July 10h00 - 17h00
Saturday 1 August 10h00 - 13h00
Sunday 2 August 10h00 - 17h00
AUCTION SESSIONSSession One
Tuesday 4 August 14h00
Session Two
Tuesday 4 August 18h30
Session Three
Wednesday 5 August 10h00
Session Four
Wednesday 5 August 14h00
For further details please contact
Natalie Randall on 011 880 3125
Johannesburg winter auction featuresover 200 works from traditional South African artists
KUNSGALERY
CAPE TOWN
JOHANS BORMAN FINE ART GALLERY
A showcase for the best of South African Masters, as well as some leading contemporary artists.
Telephone: 021 423 6075 www.johansborman.co.za
Mon-Fri: 09h30 - 17h30 Sat: 10h00 - 13h00 or by appointment
In Fin Art Building Upper Buitengracht Street, Cape Town 8001 Cell: 082 566 4631
E-mail: [email protected]
Maurice van Essche, ‘The Clown’ - 1972
the plot thickensnew paintings by michael taylor
2 7 / 0 7 - 2 2 / 0 8
Worldart Gallery
54 Church Street | Cape Town
021 423 3075 | www.worldart.co.za
WA
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NC
E FU
NN
Y,
Mic
hae
l Tay
lor
2009, G
ouac
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on b
oar
d, 20cm
x 2
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South African Art Times July 2009 5
southern end of Queen Elizabeth
Bridge in the CBD.
Commissioning agent for public
artworks in the city, artist Marcus
Neustetter, reports that the
Johannesburg Development Agency
has been hoping to get Kentridge to
produce a public sculpture for the city
for some time. Lael Bethlehem, JDA
chief executive was heard exclaiming
on 702 Talk Radio “We are getting our
very fi rst William Kentridge!”
The sculpture will resemble a woman
carrying a burning brazier on her
head, but only from certain angles;
“If one approaches the work from the
direction of the bridge, these loose
steel fragments combine to create the
cohesive image of The Fire Walker...
This image then ‘explodes’ into loose
individual fragments and abstraction
as you move around it”, Marx and
Kentridge explain.
The work is being hailed as
Johannesburg’s Statue of Liberty,
evoking the Big Apple’s monu-
mental torch bearing woman. “But
she is a very particular Statue of
Liberty – Johannesburg’s Statue of
Liberty – which carries with it, at every
point, either the history or the threat
of its own collapse”, the artists say.
Neustetter also noted the contradic-
tory implications of the work, which,
while its message of survival inspires,
“if we carry fi re on our heads, what
else can we do?” it is also disturbing;
“should someone have to do this?”
In her article for the weekender, Alex
A more worrying issue, hinted to by some readers’ letters to the Cape Times in recent weeks (including one from the original Muizenberg satellite museum benefactor, count Labia), is one about the overall management of Iziko: specifi cally in what it envisages as its day-to-day job and its future aspi-rations. The serious question is whether, for all the bureaucratic ducking-’n-diving, Iziko has a future vision and a practical plan.
As has happened from time to time, visitors to the Iziko SA National Gallery had travelled from afar with the hope of seeing one or two of the holdings for which the institution is quite well known - yes, even in foreign places and acad-emies. Of course, as we Capetonians know, the SANG shows only a few works from the vast permanent col-lection in the overfl owing basement. (In fact, we take the offi cials’ word that those paintings and pieces are not rot-ting away, and are, in fact, still there.)
Our disappointed visitors wrote to the newspaper to say how sad it was not to see what they came to admire. Why are these well-known works not on view?
This, of course, is a question that
lingers in many local art lovers’ bosom. Many of us only realise the treasures in the SANG collection when they are hauled out for retrospectives in other museums (Judith Mason, Johann Louw) or appear in print in a rare monographs (the upcoming Alexis Preller).
The old, hackneyed excuse is the one of exhibition space. In fairness, it’s a complaint that runs as a refrein through art museums world wide. But, and this is the crux of the question Iziko seems to evade, what’s to be done at the SANG?
The limited space in the lovely old build-ing has been an issue since before the days of director Raymund van Niekerk, and it bamboozled Marilyn Martin’s reign. (The latter, using her persuasive charm and cutting arguments, made various efforts to fi nd other spaces, to get other potential benefactors interested, to develop strategies. She constantly walked into walls.)
When political correctness also got behind the steering wheel, it took a seri-ous turn. On the one hand - and cor-rectly so – a major effort, over the past twenty years, to rectify the imbalance of art holdings, brought in many new
Johannesburg to get Kentridge’s Fire Walkercontinued from page 1
A Cape Town Museum of Art?continued from page 1
New Arts Axis for Johannesburgcontinued from page 1
Dodd also draws attention to the
possibility of theft, a problem which
has plagued various public sculptures
in the city in recent years. “We’re
trying to make it as solid and strong
as possible, but there is the chance
that parts could get stolen”, Marx con-
cedes, adding that concerns about
safety, and the piece being used as
a possible hiding place for hijackers
were also taken into account in the
manufacture of the piece.
Then again, theft of part of the
statue’s metal might only add to the
sense of contingency offered by
Joburg’s “exploding” and fragmented
Statue of Liberty.
For more information, visit www.
theweekender.co.za/article
(and old) pieces. On the other, a large number of those associated with the previous paradigm were hastily shoved into storage. The taint of our sad past fell like a veil over many great pieces, doomed to the dark below.
At the same time, a vigorous empower-ment process of upcoming artists and new art also stressed Iziko curators in terms of funds and space.
What we see a t the SANG these days looks very much like an ad hoc exhibition management policy. Shows come and go and linger in ways that seldom seem to make any connection with anything outside, neither the public nor social conditions in the city. (Part of the problem too is clearly that of PR and media management. Capetonians sometimes simply don’t know what’s inside those rooms.) Hit and miss, is more like it. ‘National Gallery’ hardly seems to fi t its description; it’s more like a temporary slap-up exhibition space.
And still important art in the collec-tion - that people, Capetonians, as well as visitors would like to admire - remains hidden from public view. (Of course, someone like curator Hayden Proud has done exceptional work in
‘re-exhibiting’ older art within a contem-porary framework.)
It seems that Iziko does not realise the economic value of its collections: one which is majorly linked to tourism.
It is within this context - with Iziko drift-ing into murkier waters (has anyone any hope for the new powers that inhabit the DAC?) - that one should polish the idea, no matter how far-fetched, of a lively, contemporary, civically-minded and professionally-run Cape Town Museum of Art.
There is no doubt (as we will see with the football hoopla next year) that Cape Town is the country’s favourite tourism destination. As the country’s cultural and creative hub, there is so much happening (count the operating galler-ies and art schools, gauge the Cape 09 buzz ), Cape Town needs a proper, well-managed contemporary art space.
And it should be under the auspices of the Cape Town city council. The latter has, unfortunately, never had any serious art/culture policy, not to mention a proper such department. It’s time it does. And we culturally minded, should force its hand. Now isn’t that a vibey idea?
attracts them,” asserts Liebmann.
Consisting of fi ve roomy industrial
buildings, the centre boasts some
formidable exhibition spaces. With
its vaulted ceilings, the Seippel
Gallery’s new space (they will be
leaving August House) will be able
to accommodate enormous hanging
or sculptural artworks that smaller
suburban galleries couldn’t dream of
displaying. For Essers the generous
dimensions of the studios was also a
selling point.
“We really wanted a space that we
could show big installations,” says
Essers.
The fi rst show planned for the
Goodman Gallery will consist of a
collection of Kentridge’s tapestries –
some are as long as four metres.
Taryn Cohn on Ross Douglas andMary Corrigall’s war of words
Taryn Cohn responds to a debate
between Douglas vs Corrigall,
published in the June edition of
the South African Art Times.
-Read it at www.arttimes.co.za
I have been following the exchanges
between critic and writer Mary
Corrigall and Jo’burg Art Fair
Director Ross Douglas with some
interest.
The debate raises some interesting
and very relevant points, and, while it
meanders dangerously close to get-
ting personal, it also misses a few.
Most obvious was the issue of
sponsorship and Corrigall’s rhetori-
cal question “ If ArtLogics model
is so sustainable why is it that their
survival depends on FNB sponsor-
ship?” To answer simply, note the
word sustainable. This is a different
concept (but often confused) with
the concept of self-sustainable. Like
every other major trade fair the event
is hosted by a sponsor.
Sponsorship is a form of market-
ing for an organization. It is not
seed funding or an investment. A
sponsor takes the decision to be
involved based on the opportunity
for brand equity that is offered by
the project. Brand equity does
not merely depend on how many
people attend the event, nor is it
measured by how many logos are
plastered around a venue. It’s about
something more subtle. It’s about
the value that comes from the right
association - communicating a mes-
sage about your brand by picking
the right platform and audience.
Surely, although art is not sport and
it offers a lifestyle and intellectual
association rather than sheer
numbers, it is still allowed to play by
the same rules. Therefore, as long
as there is a sponsor who values the
brand equity that the event brings,
the project is sustainable.
The Art Fair model is no different
to every major event worldwide.
Like the Confederations Cup,
these events could never support
themselves on ticket sales alone,
nor are they meant to. So while the
Confederations Cup is playing to
half empty stadiums you’d be hard
pressed to fi nd anybody calling for
its cancellation. Why is that you won-
der? Perhaps because the sports
industry and those associated with it
understand the symbiosis of spon-
sors and sports better than we in the
art industry do.
So, onto the business of business.
According to Corrigall, “ Art fairs
are about generating sales and, as
such, most gallerists were keen to
hedge their bets by displaying a full
array of art in the hope that they
would have more of a chance of
nailing a sale. In such a context, the
aesthetic or transcendental nature
of art objects is stifl ed.”
An interesting point. Here we have
two confl icting agenda’s that make
up the tightrope of being an artist.
On the one hand there is a purist
view that art exists to question
society and explore the “transcen-
dental and aesthetic” from outside
the constraints faced by people who
need to provide goods or services
to make money. On the other, well I
have never met an artist who doesn’t
like to eat. Simply put, there is only
one way to make money from art;
sell it.
But really? In the year 2009 are we
really still in a space where publiciz-
ing the intention to make money off
art somehow taints its authenticity
and intrinsic value? Surely we have
seen the rise and fall of enough
communist states to be comfortable
embracing the essentially market
driven values that govern our soci-
ety? And for those who go back to
issues of funding and sponsorships
being responsible for preserving
and supporting art, it’s still some-
one’s money somewhere that pays
those bills.
Are we to believe that you can’t sell
art and be transcendental at the
same time?
It is time that as artists and arts
practitioners we aim to engage in a
more positive manner with the orga-
nizations and individuals to whom
we look to for support, be they
buyers or sponsors. Rather than look
on the issue as black and white,
we need to ensure that we build
these relationships to a point where
we can balance the needs of the
art community and its supporters
without compromising the integrity
of either. That will only happen when
they respect us enough to listen to
what we say and how we say it. But
it will never happen until we respect
them, period.
I am fast running out of space so
am left with one more point to raise.
I do support Corrigal’s observation
that the Art Fair turned to design
to fi ll spaces. But I do want to ask
Douglas why this is so?
I personally know of several gal-
leries who are most defi nitely not
“little shops in malls peddling trite
landscape art” that don’t count who
either did not make the grade, or
who simply couldn’t afford to take
part. Apparently fair rules also do
not allow the sharing of stands that
would allow so many more members
of our art market to participate.
Surely considering smaller stands
and broadening the offer of legiti-
mate contemporary galleries and
dealers on display would increase
the range of works that refl ect “the
work the country and continent is
producing”?
I would assume that a broader range
of more widely priced work from
established and emerging artists
would both invite more sales from
a wider range of clientele and be
better than design stands and object
displays that are “derived from that
fuzzy territory that delineates the
overlap between art and craft.?”
The questions to be asking is who
judges the galleries proposals to
take part and on what basis.
As free market liberal, I fully endorse
Douglas’s right to manage his entity
the way he sees fi t, but in support-
ing freedom of speech and in the
interests of nurturing a robust and
critically engaged art media , I
support Corrigall’s right to ask these
questions. I also thank them both for
the debate.
Don’t miss the panel discussion on
art fairs on 30 June, that includes
Ross Douglas, Clive Kellner and Alex
Dodd. See www.arttimes.co.za for
further details.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
South African Art Times July 20094
Written by: Market Photo Workshop
“I used to say to the younger
photo–graphers, photography is
one of the most beautiful profes-
sions you can have. It can take
you to places more strange and
wonderful than you have ever
imagined.”
Ricardo Rangel
Rangel was born in Lourenço
Marques (Maputo) in 1924, and
started his career as a darkroom
assistant during World War II. He
worked as a photojournalist for a
number of newspapers, including
Notícias and La Tribune. In 1970
he became a founding member of
Tempo, the country’s fi rst colour
news magazine.
Rangel covered the events that lead
up to Mozambique’s independence
from Portuguese rule in 1975, and
was appointed chief photographer
for the Notícias in 1977. He then
began training photographers for
both Agência de Informação de
Moçambique (AIM) and Notícias.
In 1981 he became director of the
weekly Domingo, and three years
later was asked to establish the
Centro de Formaçao Fotográfi ca in
Maputo, a school for photography.
Often regarded as Mozambique’s
greatest contemporary photo–
grapher, Rangel will be sorely
missed. Ricardo Rangel died 11
June 2009.
Self-portrait, Ricardo Rangel
Image courtesy of Afronova Gallery www.afronova.com
To order: phoneOffi ce 011 783 5080John Contat 083 2666 188or P-J 082 4506 598Cost: R600-00, incl. vat & postage
Errol Boyley booksalso available at R750-00
Long awaitedLimited edition books
of
Gabriel De Jonghfi nally available
South African Art Times July 2009 5
Ricardo Rangel 1924 - 11 June 2009
Ricardo Rangel, In the embrace of the night, 1970.
OBITUARY
Some of the daily stories include:
David Goldblatt wins Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation AwardVeteran South African photographer
David Goldblatt has won the Henri
Cartier Bresson Foundation’s grant of
R 341 400, Volksblad reports.
Development Grantwinners announcedThe Arts and Culture Trust (ACT), an
independent funding organisation for
arts and culture, has announced the
2009 recipients of its development
grants.
Hanging out with Hlobo(29 Jun 09)“I think there is a tradition of English
language and culture being very domi-
nant in the art world, and I feel there
is a need for that to be challenged
somehow.”
Christian Nerf is Barend de Wet (maybe, sometimes)“Christian does whatever the f**k he
wants with my name” says Barend
de Wet. In a shock disclosure, Cape
Townian tricksters Barend de Wet and
Christian Nerf have revealed that they
have been using each other’s signa-
tures since 2003, “to an extent which
may never be known”.
New Daily Newsupdates now available at
www.arttimes.co.za
A new remix for Africa?(29 Jun 09)Sarah-Neel Smith gives ‘Continental
Rifts: Contemporary Time-Based Works
of Africa’ the thumbs up in a review for
Frieze magazine.
Photographer Crispian Plunkett passes awaY (26 Jun 09)Visionary fashion photographer,
Crispian Plunkett, passed away last
week as a result of diabetes-related
complications.
Countdown to Grahamstown (29 Jun 09)As exhibitors head off to Grahams-
town to frantically begin installing work
for the opening day, on Thursday, the
South African Art Times picks out some
highlights.
2009 Tierney Fellowshipwinners over the moonThe 2009 recipients of the $5000
Tierney Fellowship have been
selected; the South African Art Times
chatted to young Cape Townian pho-
tographer, Ariane Questiaux
about her success.
Sloon and Maggs in shady dealingsControversial blogger Robert Sloon
and video artist Charles Maggs pair
up for a two-man show, ‘Syndrome’,
which opens at Whatiftheworld/ gallery
in Cape Town. Sloon, (a pseudonym),
has edited the blog ArtHeat since
2006, and has long been a mysterious
fi gure on the Cape Town art scene.
‘Maybe art is the spinach’Jeff Koons’ current exhibition at the
Serpentine Gallery in London looks
back at Popeye, the iconic strong
man of the last big recession, in the
hopes of learning something from his
optimism.
Suid-Afrika verdien beter (South Africa
deserves better). De Rust, Western Cape.
Courtesy Michael Stevenson Gallery
Go to www.arttimes.co.za to read daily breaking news
and stories as they unfold.
Exhibiting at room no. 2 Barret Art Centrefrom 2 to 11 July daily from 09h00 to 17h00.
After the festival people may visit his studio
in Klerksdorp near Potchefstroom
For a preview please logo on to www.danielnovela.co.za
To book an appointment please contact the studio at 018 489 1780
Daniel Novela
Mother and child carrying wooden fire – commissioned by Sarah Salm NY
I fi rst met a 28 year old Daniel Novela in 1992 while organizing an art exhibition on the campus of the then Potchefstroom University. In the spirit of the policial moments we were living in at that time, the exhibition was called “Images of Reconciliation” and featured works by more than eighty artists from all walks of life and virtually every colour and creed in the country.
Daniel’s works featured a style of hyper realistic renditions of fi gure studies including those of San hunters amidst the setting of the veldt in which they live. It was abundantly clear that here was an artist with great talent, who only needed to be pointed in the right direction, and I predicted even then a bright future for this young artist. Daniel subsequently enrolled for Fine Arts studies at the Klerksdorp Campus of the Vaal Triangle Technikon where he eventually obtained his National Diploma in the year 2000, receiving accolades as one of the top students. With his wife Frangely they form a close knit family that includes two children.
Daniel has evolved a style of painting that is remarkably sophisticated; although he maintains his ancestral roots with the land, Africa, he interprets this in a style that is neither purely realistic nor overtly abstract. He uses his very sensitive feeling for colour to imbue the works with a sense of time and place that is quite ephemeral. Always in contact with the human scale, it is nature that eventually dominates his works, and his singular use of bold brush strokes combined with an innate sense of composition shows an artistic sensibility born of pure intuition. His paintings become a real sensual experience in which the eyes are used to touch and relay emotions in much the way that Kandinsky would have appreciated.
He has participated in some ten group exhibitions has at least fi ve one-man shows to his credit. Daniel has exhibited in America, where his works were very well received. After his recent solo exhibition in Potchefstroom I was quoted in saying the following: “Daniel is an incredibly talented young artist with a vision embedded in the long tradition of Impressionism that can be said to have started with Turner. He has a tenacity an an integrity that has led him to his exhibitions in New York, and I predict great things to come. His works are well worthy of investment, and his artistic style, particularly the sensitivity of his brush strokes and his feeling for atmosphere, is commendable.”
I am very proud to be associated with Daniel’s development as a painter and as an artist who is represenative of what I would like to describe as a new breed. For too long we have been satisfi ed to applaud the works of mediocre artists in order to promote them as part of a political agenda. It is time to undertstand that good art or even more important, great art, can only be produced by integrity, talent and a commitment to work hard and produce quality.
This can be said of Daniel Novela, that he is a child of Africa, rendering pictures of Africa. But he is also an artist of the world with an understanding of the need to produce qualitative works with an inherent artistic value that can even now be translated into investment value. It remains exciting to keep an eye on his future development.
John R. BohaAssociate Professor: History of Art, Univerrsity of the North West
Pieter Willem Frederik Wenning
(1873 – 1921) was born in The
Hague, Southern Holland. After his
schooling he entered the Railway
Services, and due to his linguis-
tic abilities, worked as foreign
correspondent in the Clearing
Department. This necessitated that
he travelled frequently to England
and various other European
countries, providing him with the
opportunity to visit galleries and
museums – giving him a broad and
solid grasp of European art trends.
Wenning was then posted to
Zaandam, where he became
familiar with Dutch Socialism.
The principles of the movement
appealed to his serious, enquiring
and sensitive nature. It was also
here that Wenning’s sympathy for
the poor and working classes began
to emerge in his artworks as he
chose to represent marginalized
urban spaces. Even though he was
a white-collar worker, he supported
the strike action taken by the blue-
collar labourers in the Great Railway
Strike of 1903, resulting in him being
fi red. Wenning was by now married
and this period of unemployment
was to mark the beginning of fi nan-
cial diffi culties for Wenning and his
family. He eventually found work with
the largest publishing fi rm in Holland
– J.H. de Bussy. In 1905 (age 32)
Wenning was offered a transfer as
bookkeeper to the Pretoria branch
which, having a great spirit for
adventure, he readily accepted.
Wenning was a keen amateur musi-
cian; playing the mandolin (he was
part of a mandolin / guitar orchestra
formed by the Italian Community of
Pretoria), and violin. He was deeply
interested in philosophy and the
religions of the world (reading the
Bible, Talmud and Koran) – he hated
narrow-minded bigotry and yearned
for a ‘new religion’. He joined ‘The
Theosophical Society of Pretoria’,
where he took on the responsibility
of secretary. He believed he was
a re-incarnation of a monk from
Benares, India and to this end he
became a vegetarian. Although he
did not create a ‘new’ form of art
as so many of his European art
counterparts were seeking to do –
he sought to fi nd truth for himself.
His artistic pursuit was to express
the essence of that which he
perceived; a philosophy in keeping
with the Japanese printmaking and
calligraphy he studied. It became an
earnest desire of his to visit Japan
to study printmaking further; to this
end he set himself the task of learn-
ing to speak Japanese.
It was only at the age of 41, that
he found himself in a position to
pursue painting as a profession.
A circle of friends and patrons
contributed to a small fund, which
allowed him to start painting full-
time. This he did with passion and
fervour at the forfeit of his own
health. Wenning never lived to see
his name become established as
one of South Africa’s leading art
masters, as he and Hugo Naudé
are credited with establishing
the genre that is referred to as
‘Cape Impressionism’. He died at
the age of 48 due to fragile
health. His impassioned pursuit
to paint (mostly outdoors and
through all kinds of weather)
created a small but invaluable
legacy of landscape and still-life
masterpieces produced in the short
time-frame of ca. ten years.
Peter Willem Frederik WenningSupplement to The South African Art Times
Red Hibiscus (Johannesburg Art Gallery) oil on canvas
“I think that there is no higher calling in art than to be true to ourselves.” (from a letter to Pierneef)
From an early age Wenning showed a passion and talent for art, with a keen eye for observa-
tion, perhaps unsurprisingly as both his father and grandfather were artists. At school, his
excellence in languages and drawing were recognized by his teacher Mr. Bubberman. He
nurtured Wennings talent, taking him on drawing excursions and visits to art galleries and
museums. We may trace Wenning’s working methodology to the mentorship of this teacher
and a high school friendship with Grada van Woude. She and Wenning would regularly go
on long walks in the country, with Grada collecting plant specimens, which he would then
illustrate in drawing and watercolour.
Wenning was a versatile artist, working in water-colour, pen and ink, pencil, pastel, etching
and oil. His subject matter included landscape – mostly semi-rural where man lived in nature,
urban environments and still-life. Although he did paint a few portrait studies, he was not at
ease representing the human form. Where fi gures occur in his paintings, they are represented
in a few dashes of paint as a highly simplifi ed symbol.
Wenning would walk out into the country until a scene would “seize him with the impulse to
paint” - he later referred to this method of working as ‘Impulsionist’. He had many favourite
drawing and painting locations that he would return to time and again. He was a plein aire
artiste, which meant he painted outdoors at the scene of his subject. His paintings would be
completed in situ (on location) in one ‘sitting’. He would set out early in the morning with his
easel, leather briefcase with paint, palette and brushes, and two canvases strapped together
Analysis of the artists work/ key stylistic infl uences
face-to-face. He would draw the scene onto the canvas in soft lead pencil or charcoal. Next
he would fi ll in the foreground and middle-ground with washes of dark imprimatura in earth
tones of umber and ochre. His paint was applied using the following methods; either the
brush would be heavily loaded with paint and applied in a swift assured motion, which he
rarely re-worked or overlaid, or he would drag a lightly-loaded, dry brush over the imprimatura
in a action called scumbling – leaving the darker tones of the base colour to show through
the paint. Details were captured in light, calligraphic touches. As his work matured, Wenning
no longer covered the entire canvas in thick paint, rather by letting the ground colour show
through it would create outlines to forms while simultaneously tying the whole composition
together. This would provide the bass note to the daubs of brightly-coloured accents he
would use sparingly, to create a musical harmony in his paintings. Wenning’s work matured at
a rapid rate from 1910 to 1920 as he honed his techniques. He was his own worst critic and
would destroy work that he did not feel was good enough. His friend, the caricaturist, D.C.
Boonzaaier, had to rescue many beautiful works from Wenning’s overly harsh self-critical eye.
As his body of work was produced over such a concentrated time period, we can only speak
of his early (1910 to 1916) and mature work (1916 to 1920).
Wenning used to state that he would not attend exhibitions as he did not want to see or be
infl uenced by other artist’s work, this seems to have been a strange affectation on his part.
We know that Wenning’s high school teacher, Mr. Bubberman, had taken him to see many
Location outside Pretoria (Early period) – oil on canvas
Wenning, under the auspices of Bubberman, had studied his country’s painting
and became increasingly attracted to the naturalistic plein-airism of The Hague
School. On arriving in Pretoria, he continued to study and explore the environment
around him, struggling to capture and depict the harsh atmospheric conditions of
the Highveldt environs. The scenes he did fi nd to inspire him were the areas where
man and nature intersected. His application of paint tended to be heavy and his
depiction of detail was laid down in overly sketchy mark making. In time, however,
the discipline of etching honed his mark making ability, while his study of Japanese
printmaking refi ned his ability to discard unnecessary detail.
Although Wenning delighted in the green of the trees – a characteristic of his work
deriving from Japanese printmaking, was to choose to depict the trees in their winter
bare starkness as dark silhouettes, which formed a rhythmic lattice or fretwork across
the canvas. Wenning primed his canvas with washes of ground colour; laying a
foundation upon which to apply the lighter colour to create form. However he allowed
the base colour to show through as shadow and outline, surrounding shapes and
defi ning details. The dark imprimatura would serve to unify the composition into a
harmonious whole, while also highlighting the brighter colours he would use spar-
ingly, to bring a spark of life to his scenes. In effect the musician in Wenning would
allow him to orchestrate the scene – not merely replicate it - “What we see around us
is merely our theme upon which we ourselves must create the melody.”
Oakfi eld, Newlands 1917 – oil on canvas
Wenning responded to the Cape with its softer light and more verdant greens. The
weather, trees and buildings were more akin to his homeland, igniting recognition
within. His brushwork became more deliberate, precise and calm. Malta Farm was
one of his favourite painting sites. He returned time and again to paint and sketch it
from various angles.
Backyard, Malta Farm (Johans Borman Gallery) – oil on canvas
“Wenning handles his colour in a manner that is totally different to any other artist
in the country and it is in this handling that his individuality proves so strong. His
pencil and wash drawings are exquisite in their simplicity, and in a few lines he is
able to convey the impression of streets, houses, people, light, shadows, and a big
distance.” (From the catalogue of the sale held at Lezard’s 21st December 1917 by
Ernest Lezard)
Old Oak, Vineyard Hotel, Newlands
pencil on paper with touches of watercolour heightening
The Infl uenza Epidemic (known in other parts of the world as the Spanish fl u) struck
Cape Town and its environs in 1918 going on to 1919. Despite Wenning’s fragile
constitution, he worked in the most contagious areas and never succumbed to the ill-
ness. Wenning related to his son that when he would visit his studio in Keerom Street
in the Bo-Kaap, the streets would be deserted due to the illness.
Lane, Malay Quarter, Cape Town – oil on canvas
“For the deep-thinking artist a still-life painting was an essay in colour, form and
composition. Wenning’s achievements in this fi eld were governed less by the
infl uence of Dutch precedents than by the lessons gained from Oriental art.”
(Berman, E. Art & Artists of South Africa, p. 498)
Still Life – oil on canvas
Artists signature style
Wenning discarded non-essential details in his pursuit for the essence of form,
eliminating any unnecessary details. He was able, much as Cezanne was, to paint
swathes of surfaces such as vegetation, fi elds of grass, walls and roofs in a simpli-
fi ed swift laying down of paint. His work is also recognizable in his mastery of greys
and greens, his dark outlines, and the under-painting showing through the paint
to surround, defi ne and delineate form. He represented trees either as stark black
silhouettes or in rhythmic simplifi ed lattice-like patterns. He was inspired and infl u-
enced by Japanese calligraphy and emulated this stylized, simplifi ed and elegant art
especially when representing trees or a detail in a still-life. He did not try to emulate
time of day or deeply receding pictorial planes.
Wenning studied Eastern philo sophies, Japanese and Chinese print making,
and collected and revered both Chinese and Japanese artefacts. His brushwork
imitated the calligraphic pen and ink strokes of their pictorial conventions – the
simplifi cation of elements to the essentials, creating the poetry of haiku in an
uncrowded still-life.
Winter Landscape c. 1920 (Rembrandt Van Rijn Collection Stellenbosch)
– oil on canvas
“everything a painter has to say can be said on a small canvas”
GALLERY
Blue Vase with Sweet Peas c.1916 – oil on canvas
exhibitions, galleries and museums in Holland. While working for De Bussy’s, he would have
handled books fi lled with representations of historical and contemporary art pieces aside from
the actual art prints they handled. We also know that Wenning was compelled by Japanese
and Chinese artworks; he spent hours pouring over the prints of Hokusai and Hiroshigo, so
that he might learn from these masters, which he applied in his use of black as outline, the
stark silhouettes of trees, simplifi ed compositions and calligraphic mark making. He was often
accompanied on his excursions by his fellow Pretoria and then Cape Town artists, and while
we can see the infl uence of Wenning on the work of Nita Spilhaus, perhaps then we might
assume that she in turn would have an infl uence in his work. Wenning’s choice of subject
matter and colour palette also relates back to The Hague School and the works of Willem and
Jacob Maris, Anton Mauve, Josef Israels, George Breitner and Marius Bauer. His choice of
subjects and paint application references the work of Cezanne.
The predominant art trends in South Africa at this time were either highly stylized picture-
postcard scenes of gabled houses and pink-tinted soaring mountains, or more realistic works
done in the English Academic tradition. While Wenning did not create a new genre of art, he
did bring a refreshing new breath of artistic insight and inspiration, helping to create an artistic
language that more relevantly refl ected the landscape of South Africa. His infl uence continues
through the second generation of ‘Cape Impressionists’, principally Terence Mc Caw and
Gregoire Boonzaier and on.
RODIN EXHIBITION
The Rupert Museum is exhibiting 27 bronze sculptures by legendary French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Includedin the exhibition, which will be up until early 2010,are prominent works such as The Thinker, The Kiss andThe Cathedral. Rodin, at the pinnacle of his career by theend of the 19th century, was deemed the greatest sculptor since Michelangelo.
Maandag tot Vrydag / Monday to Friday : 09:30 - 13:00 14:00 - 16:00Saterdag / Saturday : 10:00 - 13:00
Gesluit op openbare vakansiedae / Closed on public holidays
Wenning returned to work in Cape Town in July of the year 1919, but his
health was now in serious decline – he seemed to pay no attention to his
own physical reality while trying to capture the corpo rality of the world
around him. It was during this time that his friendship with Nita Spilhaus,
seemed to become one of a more tender nature. Theirs was more than
just a meeting of minds, but of genuine fondness, with Wenning and
Spilhaus going on many painting excursions together and Wenning being
instrumental in her development as an artist.
Nita Spilhaus – Street Scene – oil on canvasThe canvas is alive with the quick
and lively application of paint
through which Wenning has
allowed the brown ground of his
imprimatura to show through. This
acts as a warm base note to the
varied cool and muted greys and
greens for which he has become
famous. Another characteristic of
his colour palette is the use of a
Riverbank, Newlands – oil on canvas
deep earth tones in the foreground
and repeated on the roof of the
house. Wenning stuck to a limited
range of colours within a composi-
tion, but created a multitude of sub-
tly varied tones within each colour.
This work shows his use of black as
an outline to defi ne and delineate
form refl ecting his appreciation and
study of Japanese printmaking.
This infl uence may also be traced
to his simplifi cation of forms and
shapes to fi t within an overall bal-
anced, simplifi ed and harmonious
composition. Wenning has created
a lyrical refrain in the repetition of
the roots of the trees, repeated in
the branches against the light blue
of the sky, with light, staccato notes
of the leaves.
The Dutch Tradition from the
Seventeenth Century was a celebra-
tion of that which the artists saw
around them; the domestic environ-
ment and the ordinary everyday
occupations of people going about
their chores in the home, the towns
and markets and out on the farms.
Th is was not plein-airist paint-
ing as the artist would fi rst sketch
Malay Quarter, Cape Town – oil on canvas
outdoors, and then paint the scene
later in their studio, however, it was
the stimulus which lead to French
Impressionism. An interesting cycle
of infl uence occurred starting with
the Dutch Tradition, which inspired
John Constable’s choice of subject
matter, method of working and
depiction of atmospheric conditions
and light playing naturalistically on
the landscape. This in turn inspired
the French schools of plein-airists
– the School of Fontainebleau, the
Barbizon School, leading to the
Parisian Impressionists. This, in turn,
inspired The Hague School of plein-
airists, who returned to the subject
matter of the Dutch Tradition of the
17th C, but this time capturing the
scene spontaneously in one sitting.
“The Red Hibiscus… has actually been signed twice – in the top and in the
lower right-hand corners. Dad told me how this had come about. When the pic-
ture was completed and Boonzaier was inspecting it, he said to Wenning, ‘For
goodness sake, why don’t you sign your pictures?’ – so Dad took up a brush
there and then and signed it, twice. I fi nd it quite amusing, just something that
Dad would have done.” (Wenning, H. My Father, p.80). Harco Wenning confi rms
that his father often did not sign his artworks. He goes on to relate that years
later he would see paintings that he knew were his father’s that were unsigned,
and then the next time he would see them, a ‘Wenning’ signature would mira-
culously have materialized. Wenning has been given the unfortunate notoriety
/ compliment of having been the fi rst South African artist to have had his style
forged and artworks not painted by him sold under his name.
Red Hibiscus (Johannesburg Art Gallery) – oil on canvas
Nita Spilhaus. A young artist and
close-friend of Wenning who
accompanied him on many paint-
ing excursion – she was strongly
infl uenced by his style and choice
of subject matter. It is alluded to in
many of the texts on Wenning that
he became engaged to a much
younger woman after the death of
his wife.
Her name is never mentioned, but
his friends new her and strongly
tried to dissuade them from the
union. If Nita was this secret
intended other, this was cut short
when in July of 1920, under the
advice of his dentist, Wenning had
all his teeth extracted, causing his
health to go into sharp decline.
Wenning spent the last few months
of his life being cared for either in
hospital or in the homes of various
friends, eventually resulting in Harco
fetching his father and escorting
him home to Pretoria via train transit;
many friends from his artists com-
munity were there to see him off,
including Nita. The possible
romantic nature of their friendship
is hinted at, but not confi rmed,
as it could have caused a scandal,
which might have destroyed her
reputation.
Having been friends with Wenning
while he was still a married man,
they had gone on many unchaper-
oned painting excursions together,
it is possible that this is what kept
Harco from confi rming whether this
was the true nature of his father’s
relationship with Nita or not.
However it is interesting to note that
he left instructions in his Will to
have all their correspondence
(which was in Harco’s possession)
destroyed after his death, thereby
unfortunately erasing what may
have been an interesting insight into
a secret chapter of South African
Art History.
s
s
s
The friendship
between Nita
and Pieter
Important artists dates 1873: Born 9th of September 1873 in The Hague - Holland.
1890: Finished High School - 18 years old
1891: Joined the Railway Company of Holland and took up a position as a
clerk in Amsterdam.
1898: 3rd of September, at the age of 26, he married Johanna Hillegonda
(a widow with a daughter and son).
1903: The Great Railway Strike broke out across Europe. Wenning
supported the strike action and as a result lost his position with
the railways.
1905: Wenning, then 32 years of age, was employed by the book sellers
and publishers De Bussy, he was then transferred to the Pretoria
branch in South Africa.
1906: Wenning bought his fi rst piece of land on the outskirts of Pretoria.
1909: While living at Rietfontein Wenning began to broaden his artistic
exploration, expanding from the mediums of water-colour, pen and
ink, to oils.
1910: Moved to a home in Rissik Street in Pretoria
1910: The Society of Artists was formed in Pretoria – they called them-
selves ‘The Individualists’, Wenning joined the group, which included
a young J.H. Pierneef.
1910: He sent a selection of his oil paintings to the Brussels Exposition for
which he received a commendation.
1911: Bought a home in President Street (Sunnyside Pretoria) for 800
pounds – an indication that his fortunes were doing much better.
1912: A second-hand etching press arrived on order from Holland –
Wenning set up a studio on their enclosed back verandah at
President Street.
1913: General strike of mine workers in South Africa, Martial Law remained
in effect until 24th of March 1914. During this time riots would fre-
quently break out in the streets of Johannesburg and Pretoria
1913: De Bussy’s opened a branch in Johannesburg – they appointed
Wenning manager of the art department.
1913: Johanna’s health ‘declined’ and she returned to Holland with the two
boys to receive treatment and to recuperate; she was hospitalized in
December.
1914: Wenning met D.C. Boonzaaier
1914: 3rd of August 1914 – World War I was declared and Johanna and
the boys were stranded in Holland.
1915: April the 3rd, Johanna and the boys returned to South Africa
1915: De Bussy distributed the fi rst volume of a collection of etchings by
Wenning, titled “Johannesburg Impressions”.
1915: Resigned from De Bussy’s due to managerial differences, this alter-
cation was to further impact on his health.
1915: Bought his own business “The University Fine Art Gallery” from
Denis Lefebvre, which proved to be a fi nancial disaster.
1915: Began working in September at Van Schaik’s in Pretoria – like De
Bussy they were publishers and book sellers.
1915: December – brought out a series of Christmas card etchings, which
were sold through Van Schaik’s
1916: First artistic sabbatical working for 3 months as a full-time artist
through funding organized by D.C. Boonzaaier
1916: Second trip to Cape Town, sponsored by Johannesburg patrons
organized by art auctioneer Ernest Lezard.
1916: Elected to the South African Society for Artists (SASA) and exhibited
on their group exhibition at the Cape Town City Hall.
1917: Included in Roworth’s essay on “Landscape Art in S.A.”
1917: January – Wenning and Johanna temporarily resided in Camp Street,
Gardens (Cape Town)
1917: Only public commission – to paint the Vrouemonument in
Bloemfontein
1917: July – went to Lourenço Marques, he returned halfway through
November with a large selection of artworks in all his different
mediums
1917: Sale of 53 works by the auctioneer Ernest Lezard, was held without
reserve and, although all the works sold, they sold for abysmally low
fi gures making no profi t for Wenning who still had to cover the bill for
framing.
1918 & 1919: The Infl uenza Epidemic (known in other parts of the world as
the Spanish fl u) struck Cape Town and its environs.
1918: An exhibition was set for 10th of October, but was delayed until the
12th of November. There is little doubt that this sale constituted
some of the best work Wenning had ever produced, but once again
the sale total amounted to a paltry sum of money.
1919: February 16th – Johanna fell ill and died on the 23rd.
1919: July – Wenning returned to work in Cape Town, but his health was
now in serious decline. He worked feverishly through all weather
conditions, ignoring his health, in his drive to pursue his passion for
painting.
1920: 18th July – Under the advice (detrimental as it would turn out) of
his dentist, Wenning had all his teeth extracted. The shock was too
much for his system and this marked the turning point from which he
would not recover.
1921: January 3rd Harco Wenning fetched his father and escorted him
home to Pretoria via train transit.
1921: 24th January Pieter Wenning died.
Exhibitions:
1911: First group exhibition with The Individualists in Pretoria City Hall
1916: First one-man exhibition – Johannesburg
1917 – 20: Group and one-man exhibitions in Johannesburg and Cape
Town
After his death there were numerous exhibitions both group and solo of
his work within South Africa, in England and then Rhodesia, his paintings
have also been exhibited in Boston and Chicago.
1910 in Africa
Boutros Ghali – the Prime Minister of Egypt is assassinated
Haley’s Comet fi lls the sky
April the 27th Louis Botha and James Hertzog found the South Africa
Party
May 31st the Union of South Africa is created
1910 Internationally
The Boy Scout’s were founded
The Monarchy of Portugal is overthrown and a new era of governance
begins – they take a severe anti-clergy / Catholic stance to separate
state and religion.
King George V begins his 25 year reign as monarch of England
Albanians rise up against the Ottoman rule of their country
An International Convention of Socialist Organizations met in
Copenhagen, Denmark and proposed to launch an International
Woman’s Day for the right to vote – this day is still acknowledged and
celebrated throughout the world and continues to be relevant as there
are still countries that continue to deny women the right to vote.
Demonstrations against public executions turn into a riot in France.
African American boxer Jack Johnson defeats a white American boxer
James Jeffries, sparking race riots across America.
The Japan-Korean Annexation treaty is signed which is then followed by
the abdication of Emperor Sunjong of the Korean Empire resulting in the
abolishment of monarchy.
The Vatican introduces a compulsory oath against Modernism for all
priests upon ordination.
Mexican Revolution of 1910 when the election results are declared null
and void.
Other Important dates during his life-time
Haley’s Comet – 1910
1911 – The Manchu Dynasty is overthrown in China and a new Republic
was proclaimed in October
The sinking of the Titanic – 14th May 1912
1913 – General Strike of Mine workers in South Africa, Martial Law
remained in effect until 24th of March 1914. During this time riots
would frequently break out in the streets of Johannesburg and
Pretoria
1914 – 3rd of August 1914 – World War I
A year in the life – 1910
Wenning had contracted malaria as a child in Fresia but was re-
infected living in Pretoria, which was then still a Malaria area – he
became so ill that in 1910 he had to be hospitalized. This seems to
have been a turning point in his life; the nature of illness and having
to spend so much time in bed recovering generally calls one to
rethink how one’s life is being led. It was not just his health, but his
fi nances were also severely strained as the company did not pay
him sick-leave. But then a new and exciting development occurred;
De Bussy’s decided to expand their business and aside from
selling books and art pr ints they decided to stock art materials to
the growing art community of Pretoria – much to Wenning’s delight
they put him in charge of this new department. He began to come
into regular contact with the artist’s active in Pretoria at that time,
which included Oerder and Pierneef. Together with these artists and
various other practicing amateurs, they formed an art society named
“The Individualists”, with Wenning as secretary for the society. They
held group exhibitions in the Pretoria town hall, providing a platform
and support for Wenning to be recognized as the artist that he was.
On Sundays, public holidays and Wednesday afternoons, Wenning
would set out on long walking excursions to fi nd material suitable to
inspire him to paint. He would often be accompanied by other artists
and a mutual exchange of ideas would take place. These excur-
sions, and the art books and prints he was able to study through the
auspices of the bookstore, placed him a unique position of making
an informed approach to what he wanted to out of his artwork.
Towards the end of that year he sent a selection of his oil paintings
to the Brussels Exposition for which he received a commendation.
BibliographyBerman, E. (1975) The Story of South African Painting, Cape Town: A.A. Balkema.
Berman, E. (1983) Art & Artists of South Africa - An illustrated biographical dic-
tionary and historical survey of painters, sculptors & graphic artists since 1875,
Cape Town: A.A. Balkema.
Boonzaier, G. (no date) Pieter Wenning - Our Art, Pretoria: Lantern Journal in
collaboration with the S.A. Broadcasting Corporation.
Boonzaier, G. & Lipschitz, I. (1949) Wenning, Cape Town: Unie-Volkspers Bpk.
Wenning, H. (1976) My Father, Cape Town: Howard Timmins.
Heerco Wenning, father of the artist, was an
artist who made his living as an art teacher;
he also specialized in illustrated cartography
and Heraldry.
“The Individualists” – The Art Society founded in Pretoria 1910. This photo-
graph was taken at the fi rst exhibition held at the own hall. From left to right:
Dr Grünberger, Nina Murray (seated), Marcelle Piltán, Jacob Hendrik (Henk)
Pierneef, Miss Harding, Pieter Wenning and Mrs Sent.
Charicature of Wenning by D.C. Boonzaier.
D.C. and Wenning became good friends
but D.C. could be a bit of an overbearing
man at times, trying to tell Wenning what or
how to paint. They corresponded regularly
when Wenning was not in Cape Town. When
there, he was a regular visitor to their home,
he was friendly with all the members of the
household including the young Gregoire.
D,C. had many of Wenning’s work on his
walls, leading to his work having a tremen-
dous infl uence over Gregoire’s artworks.
Pieter Wenning, photo taken on his wedding
day to Johanna on the 3rd of September 1898.
Unfortunately there are no available photos of
Johanna.
Wenning painting near Tokai Forest, Cape Peninsula.
Here we may see Wenning in his trademark long
overcoat and hat. Wenning would have walked a
long distance to reach Tokai from Newlands. It was
not uncommon for him to return only after dark hav-
ing painted all day that he might fi nish the painting.
If it was raining, he would either read or paint still-
lives indoors, but many times he would be caught
in the rain and arrive at the Boonzaier family home
drenched right through.
Still Life with Bottle, Vase and Blooms - oil on canvasTerence McCaw (1913-1978) – Genadendal
(Stephan Welz in Association with Sotheby’s
October sale)
Terence McCaw (1913-1978) 1961 - The White
Cottage (Lot No. 309 Stephan Welz in Association with
Sotheby’s 4th of August sale R20 000 to R30 000)
Gregoire Boonzaier (1909-2005) 1963 – Mount Ararat
(Lot No. 284 Stephan Welz in Association with Sotheby’s
4th of August sale R150 000 to R200 000)
Written and researched by Cate Wood Hunter
Artists that infl uenced Pieter Wenning
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Staff writer
With no formal art training,
Khambule’s progression has
been impressive. Born in 1977 in
Mdlankala, near Richards Bay, he
has been dedicated to art since the
age of eight. After meeting fellow
artist Welcome Danca, Khambule
moved to Durban where he snagged
a job working for Vulindlela Art and
Design because of his painting
talents. He was also introduced by
Danca to galleries Fresh Paint and
African Accent, and participated
in Fresh Paint’s 2009, ‘Hayibo’
exhibition, as well as Kizo art gal-
lery’s 2008 ‘Love Art’ exhibition. It
was also Danca who suggested
Khambule enter the 2008 START
Nivea Art Award Competition, a
prize which Khambule took home
last year.
The award, designed by the
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week exhibition in a professional
gallery.
A year on from winning the prize,
in June, Khambule’s debut solo
show of paintings appeared at the
KZNSA in Durban. The exhibition
entitled ‘It’s a Mask’, a selection
of acrylics on canvas, used the
traditional genre of portraiture to
examine identity formation, appear-
ances and prejudices based on
appearances. Speaking about the
work, ‘Thug’, what appears to be
a portrait of a hip-gangster youth,
Khambule reveals the work is in fact
a self-portrait. “When you look from
far, you might think I’m a thug, but if
you come closer, you will see I am
not a thug.”
Elsewhere, the notion of a mask
takes on a protective meaning.
In ‘This is it Kid’, a portrait of
Khambule’s last born son, a pattern
of umbrella’s adorn the background.
Umbrellas, Khambule explains,
protect one from the rain. “I’m trying
to evoke the identity of children; they
need to be protected”.
Khambule also understands por-
traiture to include the spaces which
we inhabit. ‘Friday Night’, a painting
of a pair of shoes hovering in front
of a city skyline, is one such work.
“Sometimes I take a photo of where
I stay and use that as a portrait”,
Khambule says, the shoes were
photographed in his bedroom.
SA Art Times Contemporary Artist Profile
BHEKI KHAMBULE
Glamour Girl
Acrylic on canvas 150cm X 100cm
2008 Start Nivea Winning Artwork Thug
Acrylic on canvas 150cm X 100cm
START Award winners 2008 are Mizuikyisa Ndlela , Bheki Khambule, Natalie Fossey
Friday Night
Acrylic on canvas 150cm X 100cm
South African Art Times July 2009 13
While most of Khambule’s works
do include naturalistic fi gures, there
is are signs of an exploration of
abstraction. ‘Free Fall’, for instance,
shows a fi gure who is all but a ghost
emerging from a wash of falling, red
streaks.
Khambule is currently working full
time with business partner Welcome
Danca at Vulindlela craft and
design; an interior design company
who produce unique designs
infl uenced by contemporary African
culture. Khambule is very interested
in promoting young, upcoming
artists, and hopes to one day
open his own gallery and school
for children.
To read more see www.nsagallery.
co.za or www.arttimes.co.za
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Titta Fasciotti (1927-1993) Green Meadow, Natal (detail) Oil on Board 295 x 390 mm