Gerard Sekoto (1913 - 1993) is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of modern South African art. He wrote that “Art is a human virtue and I have given my whole self to it, for it promotes understanding amongst races rather than destroy it.” Sekoto spent much of his life away from his roots, tirelessly in search of that experience and inspiration that would make him a better, more sensitive, more insightful artist. His quest took him from the rural Transvaal to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and ultimately Paris – ignoring possible difficulties or danger. Lesley Spiro writes that Sekoto’s work provides us “with the most intimate reflection of these travels and yet in many ways it suggests that he never left at all, for South Africa remained the dominant image in his paintings”, its essence reverberating throughout his oeuvre of work.
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