Gerard Sekoto
Encyclopedia
Gerard Sekoto was a South African artist and musician. He is recognized as the pioneer of urban
black art, social realism
, and more recently as the father of South African art and of his 8 daughters and 3 sons. He has had exhibitions in Paris, Stockholm
, Venice
, Washington
, Senegal
as well as in South Africa.
near Middelburg
, Eastern Transvaal
(now known as Mpumalanga
. As the son of a missionary, music was a part of his life, and he was introduced to the family harmonium
at an early age.
On graduating as a teacher from the Diocesan Teachers Training College in Pietersburg
he taught at a local school, Khaiso Secondary, for four years. During this time he entered an art competition (the May Esther Bedford) organised by the Fort Hare University, for which he was awarded second prize. George Pemba was awarded the first prize.
In 1938 at the age of 29 he left for Johannesburg
to pursue a career as an artist. He lived with relatives in Gerty Street, Sophiatown. He held his first solo exhibition in 1939. In 1940 the Johannesburg Art Gallery
purchased one of his pictures; it was to be the first picture painted by a black artist to enter a museum collection. In 1942 he moved to District Six in Cape Town
where he lived with the Manuel family. In 1945 he moved to Eastwood, Pretoria
.
purely by chance at l’Echelle de Jacob (Jacob’s ladder), a trendy nightclub
that had reopened for business after World War II
. Here he played jazz
and sang ‘Negro Spirituals’, popular French songs of the period and some Harry Belafonte
. Music became the way that he could pay his living and art school expenses.
Between 1956 and 1960, several of Sekoto’s compositions were published by Les Editions Musicales. Sekoto played piano and sang on several records. He composed 29 songs, mostly excessively poignant, recalling the loneliness of exile, yet displaying the inordinate courage of someone battling to survive in a foreign cultural environment.
1966 he visited Senegal
for a year.
Sekoto's paintings became political in the 1970s due to apartheid in his home country. In 1989 the Johannesburg Art Gallery honoured him with a retrospective exhibition and the University of Witwatersrand with an honorary doctorate.
He died on 20 March 1993 at a retirement home outside Paris.
Urban culture
Urban culture is the culture of towns and cities. In the United States, Urban culture may also sometimes be used as a euphemistic reference to contemporary African American culture.- African American culture :...
black art, social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
, and more recently as the father of South African art and of his 8 daughters and 3 sons. He has had exhibitions in Paris, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
as well as in South Africa.
Early life
Sekoto was born on 9 December 1913 at the Lutheran Mission Station in BotshabeloBotshabelo, Mpumalanga
Botshabelo in the district of Middelburg, in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, originated as a mission station established by Alexander Merensky of the Berlin Missionary Society , in February 1865 in what was then the Transvaal Republic...
near Middelburg
Middelburg, Mpumalanga
Middelburg is a large farming and industrial town in the South African province of Mpumalanga.Middelburg was established as Nasareth, , in 1864 by the Voortrekkers on the banks of the Klein Olifants River. The name was changed in 1872 to Middelburg to mark its situation midway between the Transvaal...
, Eastern Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
(now known as Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
. As the son of a missionary, music was a part of his life, and he was introduced to the family harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
at an early age.
On graduating as a teacher from the Diocesan Teachers Training College in Pietersburg
Polokwane
Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...
he taught at a local school, Khaiso Secondary, for four years. During this time he entered an art competition (the May Esther Bedford) organised by the Fort Hare University, for which he was awarded second prize. George Pemba was awarded the first prize.
In 1938 at the age of 29 he left for Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
to pursue a career as an artist. He lived with relatives in Gerty Street, Sophiatown. He held his first solo exhibition in 1939. In 1940 the Johannesburg Art Gallery
Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens...
purchased one of his pictures; it was to be the first picture painted by a black artist to enter a museum collection. In 1942 he moved to District Six in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
where he lived with the Manuel family. In 1945 he moved to Eastwood, Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
.
Exile
In 1947 he left South Africa to live in Paris under self-imposed exile. The first years in Paris were hard, and Sekoto was employed as a pianistPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
purely by chance at l’Echelle de Jacob (Jacob’s ladder), a trendy nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
that had reopened for business after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Here he played jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and sang ‘Negro Spirituals’, popular French songs of the period and some Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
. Music became the way that he could pay his living and art school expenses.
Between 1956 and 1960, several of Sekoto’s compositions were published by Les Editions Musicales. Sekoto played piano and sang on several records. He composed 29 songs, mostly excessively poignant, recalling the loneliness of exile, yet displaying the inordinate courage of someone battling to survive in a foreign cultural environment.
1966 he visited Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
for a year.
Sekoto's paintings became political in the 1970s due to apartheid in his home country. In 1989 the Johannesburg Art Gallery honoured him with a retrospective exhibition and the University of Witwatersrand with an honorary doctorate.
He died on 20 March 1993 at a retirement home outside Paris.
Well known works by year
- 1939
- "Poverty in the midst of Plenty" - Watercolour and pastel on brown paper
- "Interior Sophiatown"
- "Lutheran Church at Botshabelo"
- 1940
- "Migrant Workers" - Gouache on paper
- "Yellow Houses"
- "The Soccer Game"
- 1942
- "Interior with Woman" - Oil on canvas
- "Three Women"
- "Three figures with Bicycle Sophiatown" - Oil on canvas board
- "The Miners"
- "Cyclists in Sophiatown"
- 1944
- "Prison Yard"
- 1945
- "The Wine Drinker"
- "Prisinors Carrying a Boulder"
- "Portrait of Cape Coloured School Teacher - Omar"
- "Children Playing"
- "Houses: District Six"
- 1946
- "Women and Child - Eastwood Pretoria"
- 1947
- "Mine Boy - Oil on canvas board"
- "Sixpence a Door" - Oil on canvas board
- "Song of the Pick" - Oil on canvas board
- "Mary Dikeledi Sekoto"
- "Self-Portrait"
- "Portrait of Anna, The Artist's Mother"
- "Portrait of a Young Man Reading"
- "Outside the Shop"
- "Beyond the Gate"
- "The Donkey Cart, Eastwood"
- "The Proud Father, Manakedi Naky on Bernard Sekoto's Knee"
- "The Artists Mother and Stepfather at Home in Eastwood"
- 1949
- "Eye Glasses" - Charcoal on paper
- "Sore Eye" - Charcoal on paper
- "The Black Beret" - Charcoal on paper
- "Paris; Pont Marie"
- 1953
- "Besotho Women"
- 1955
- "Woman and Children"
- 1959
- "Rider on Horseback" - Oil on canvas
- 1960
- "Blue Head" - Gouache on paper
- 1961
- "Jazz Band" - Oil on board
- 1963
- "Woman's Head"
- "Township Gossip"
- 1968
- "The Three Figures" - Gouache on paper
- 1971
- "Township Scene"
- 1975
- "Woman with a Patterned Headscarf"
- 1978
- "Homage to Steve BikoSteve BikoStephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
" - Oil on canvas
- "Homage to Steve Biko
- 1979
- "The Bull" - Oil on canvas
- "Portrait of Woman" - Oil on canvas board