The tradition of black artists in South Africa has, until recently, been neglected. In the last ten years a new art history has developed from a growing awareness of the omissions of the past. At the forefront of this re-assessment is the work of Gerard Sekoto, a crucial figure in the understanding of modern African art.
Born on 9 December 1913 at Botshabelo, a German Lutheran Mission Station in the then Easten Transvaal, (now Bophuthatswane).
When Sekoto was five years old, his father was posted by the Lutheran Church to their mission school on the farm Wonderhoek, also in the Middelburg District. Here Sekoto spent his most formative years. He nurtured the memories of his rural childhood for the rest of his life, and in many of his letters he dwells at great length on the experiences of his youth and early family life. The love and security he was shown as a child were a source of solace and strength during the difficult years of his exile.
Sekoto started drawing early but did not have access to colour pencils until he was a teenager. The introduction to colour revolutionized his work. Periods of residence in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, District Six, Cape Town, and Eastwood, Pretoria produced vibrant and powerful pieces evoking both the colourful cultural activity and the tensions of the townships. The paintings from this time are historical records of a now extinct way of life. All three areas were bulldozed in the fifties and sixties. In 1947 Sekoto made the momentous decision to leave the country of birth and travel to Paris - like many voluntary and involuntary exiles, he was never to return to South Africa. France brought new inspiration and Sekoto re-worked many subjects and explored different themes, al characterized by a deep sense of humanity.
Towards the end of his life, Sekoto's art increasingly gained recognition mainly through the pioneering work of Barbara Lindop. Her research brought to life many paintings thought to have been lost, and, through her correspondence with Sekoto, she was able to confirm details of his life before his death in 1993. In this book, Lindop introduces the extraordinary life story of Gerard Sekoto accompanied by full colour plates of his most powerful, stirring works of art.
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
The art of black South Africans was not only suppressed for many years but nearly lost. Gerard Sekoto (1913-93) was a gifted painter with a flair for color and pattern and for capturing the vitality of the human figure. His vibrant paintings of life in the many South African towns and cities he called home during the 1930s and 1940s preserve and interpret a vanished world. Sekoto himself vanished from the scene when he chose self-exile in Paris in 1947. There's great irony in this decision.
His journey was made possible by his considerable success, but his separation from his home and the subject matter dearest to his heart adversely affected his work. Lindop was able, by dint of strong effort, to locate many of Sekoto's South African paintings, rescuing them from obscurity and making them available to viewers the world over.
She also contacted Sekoto late in his life and conducted a sustained correspondence with him, thus preserving his thoughts about his life and powerful work. Donna Seaman.
I. Hard Cover. Condition: Fine. White gloss and printed boards, in mint condition. No marks on covers.
II. Dust Jacket In Fine Condition, no wear and tear. Only discoloured from age. Protected by plastic book cover.
III. Contents are clean and bright. Richly illustrated in colour with accompanying text.
IV. Language : English
V. Published by Pavilion Books, London, UK, 1995. First Edition.
VI. Binding Condition: Fine.
VII. Overall Condition: Fine.
VIII. Dimensions: 193 mm X 237 mm X 6 mm.
IX. Pages 64
X. ISBN: 9781857934618
A valuable addition to any collection in mint condition.
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