Framed gouache on paper, signed and inscribed with the title on the reverse. Currently on display. Reference S1065.
This painting belongs to a series of comparable works from Sekoto’s Sans Titre period, several of which have been sold in recent years. It was authenticated by Dr Fred Scott in 2024.
Born in 1913 at Botshabelo, a Lutheran mission station near Middelburg, Sekoto spent his formative years at Wonderhoek. Memories of his rural childhood and family life remained important throughout his life, providing comfort during his years in exile.
Sekoto began drawing as a child but first gained access to coloured pencils as a teenager. The introduction of colour transformed his work. Living in Sophiatown, District Six and Eastwood, he produced vibrant paintings that captured the cultural activity and tensions of township life. These works preserve a record of neighbourhoods later demolished in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1947, Sekoto moved to Paris and never returned to South Africa. His life in France brought new inspiration as he revisited earlier subjects and explored different themes, retaining a deep sense of humanity in his work.
His art gained increasing recognition towards the end of his life, supported by Barbara Lindop’s research and correspondence with him. Her work helped locate paintings previously thought lost and confirm details of his life before his death in 1993.
Sekoto exhibited extensively in South Africa and internationally. His honours included an honorary doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand and recognition as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1989. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Ikhamanga in 2003.
Provenance
By descent until 1985. Sotheby’s, London, and Stephanie Weiz, 1985. Subsequently passed by descent until acquired by Fine Art Auctioneers in 2023. Acquired by The Gallery at Hayling in 2024.
Authenticated by Dr Fred Scott in 2024.
