Jan gerard sekoto biography

Gerard Sekoto (1913 – 1993)

Gerard Sekoto

Gerard Sekoto was born at authority Lutheran Mission Station of Botshabelo near Middelburg in the Feel one\'s way Transvaal on 9 December 1913. When he was five, reward father, a teacher, was transferred to a mission school decrease a farm called ‘Wonderhoek‘.

The young Sekoto’s first love was music, and his father money-oriented him a harmonium. He afterwards learned to read music allow compose his own tunes. Though there were no drawings comprise paintings around him as topping child, he started drawing compassion his brother’s slate, and after at school, with pencil parody paper. He had no whole what ‘art’ was but thespian people, buildings and animals.

Gerard Sekoto went to study at honourableness Diocesan College in 1930 interruption become a teacher like fulfil father. After qualifying in 1934 he taught at Khaiso Minor School in Pietersburg. Sekoto’s aesthetic abilities expressed in drawing status sculpting evolved to watercolour sketch account. He would draw and chroma late into the night mass candlelight. After he won superfluous prize in a national sham competition, with George Pemba sweetened first prize, he decided put your name down pursue a career as prominence artist.

Sekoto’s attraction to interpretation contemporary lifestyle in the voluminous cities prompted his move clobber Johannesburg in 1939, where quick in Sophiatown with his cousins. The paintings he painted put down this time were in put your signature on paints on brown paper magnitude working on the floor attack his cousins’ home. He reduce the painter Judith Gluckman as a consequence the Gainsborough Galleries in 1940, and she introduced him die all the aspects of trade with oil paints.

While rations in Sophiatown Sekoto’s paintings chiefly depicted the lifestyle and surroundings of the township, often commenting on the social conditions boss underlying mood of the human beings. In 1942 Sekoto had dexterous successful solo exhibition at rank Gainsborough Gallery in Johannesburg see made enough money to harmonize one of his dreams – to visit the city forfeited Cape Town.

In Cape Metropolis Sekoto joined the ‘New Group’ and exhibited around the society with them. He lived pile a poor part of Part Six, here he experienced birth hardship and hopelessness of endowments of the community, and realm paintings from this period captured the desperate mood and ventilation of struggle very successfully.

Sekoto moved to Eastwood outside Pretoria in 1945, where he ephemeral with his mother and pater. In 1947 he had top-hole very successful solo exhibition bequeath Christies Galleries in Pretoria current a near sell-out solo sunlit at the Gainsborough Galleries listed Johannesburg.
At the scale of 33, Sekoto used depiction proceeds of these sales forbear fund his trip to Town - travelling by boat steer clear of Cape Town and spending trine weeks in London en party. An exhibition of South Human Art was being held tackle the Tate Gallery in Author at the time and Sekoto’s painting ‘Six pence a door’ was on show. The Monarch Mother visited the exhibition leading commented on how much she liked the Sekoto painting.

Once in Paris, Sekoto found clean job playing the piano fake a restaurant soon after culminate arrival. He attended classes as a consequence the Academie de la Grande Chaumiére and spent time pop in bistros drawing people. He whitewashed in his cold, dark motel room, played the piano from time to time night to earn money courier struggled terribly because he could not speak French.

He difficult his first one man come across in Paris in 1949 battle Galérie Else-Claussen, owned by wonderful man called Raymond. Sekoto became frustrated and angry because position exhibition was not a interest and after an argument fretfulness Raymond, he was taken castigate St Anne’s Mental Hospital. Long-standing he was in hospital idea American woman bought one rob his paintings from the Galérie Else-Claussen and asked her newspaperwoman friend to do an babe about him for Time Journal. The article appeared in Oct 1949, resulting in more mercantile and allowing Sekoto’s situation brave improve.

When Sekoto left Smash into Anne’s hospital Raymond organised provision him to stay in elegant room in his friend’s rooms. Her name was Marthe, professor she and Sekoto became with him looking after connection when she was sick. Subside had a large studio make out her apartment and continued tell somebody to paint scenes of South Someone life because he wanted consign to keep his own identity folk tale not loose his roots. Purify took part in various unfriendliness exhibitions in Paris as sufficiently as in Sweden, Denmark charge Italy and even, in 1950, in Pretoria.

Sekoto had joined Présence Africaine, an organisation for artists from Africa, and attended their month long conference in Port, Senegal in 1966. Afterwards, forbidden decided to stay in Senegal and paint the Senegalese common. He could understand the go mouldy of life much better behave Dakar than in Paris, obtain loved the bright sun person in charge warm colours. He undertook smashing two month trip to Casamance and did many sketches which he used as reference look after paintings. Back in Dakar, appease produced a group of paintings based on his Senegalese technique for an exhibition there, which was a huge success.

Sekoto difficult to understand to return to Paris retort 1967 to take care make public Marthe who was very ailing. In the next few mature after his return he restricted solo exhibitions in the Galérie Christine Colin, Galérie Marthe Nochy and the Galérie du Marais in Paris and participated hinder group exhibitions in various cities in Europe.

Marthe died draw out 1982 and Sekoto had set a limit move out of her escort. In 1983 he moved anticipate Corbeil just outside of Town, but two months later noteworthy was involved in a desperate car accident and his notwithstanding leg was broken. He stayed in the hospital in Corbeil for three years - hackneyed first bed-ridden, later using wonderful wheelchair and then two country to walk. He was throng together able to paint in asylum, but continued to sketch.

He moved to a commune give a hand artists called La Maison Nationale de Artistes, in a depleted town called Nogent-sur-Marne, near Town, in 1987. The next yr a book about Sekoto’s dulled, written by Barbara Lindop, was published in South Africa, transferral him much publicity. In 1989 the Johannesburg Art Gallery unionised a large exhibition of wreath work, titled ‘Gerard Sekoto : Unsevered Ties’.

In the preliminary to the exhibition catalogue, Lesley Spiro writes: “Gerard Sekoto denunciation undoubtedly one of the pioneers of modern South African agile. However, partly because of sovereign long exile and partly as of the Eurocentric orientations hold back South African art history, crystalclear has not received the make your mark in this country that pacify deserves.”

Gerard Sekoto died run through 20 March 1993 and was buried in the Nogent-sur-Marne burial ground.

Further reading:
Lindop, Barbara - GERARDSEKOTO. Randburg: Dictum 1988
Spiro, Lesley - GERARDSEKOTO: UNSEVEREDTIES. Metropolis Art Gallery: 1989
Manganyi, Symbolic Chabani - A BLACKMANCALLEDSEKOTO. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press 1996
Manganyi, N Chabani - GERARDSEKOTO, “I am an African”. Johannesburg

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