Sekoto's First Painting Prize: Unveiling The Year

South African artist and musician Gerard Sekoto is recognised as a pioneer of urban Black art and social realism. Sekoto's paintings serve as vivid historical records of the vibrant urban environments and the people who lived there. In 1938, Sekoto won second prize for a painting submitted to the May Esther Bedford Art Competition organised by Fort Hare University College. This was the first prize he won for a painting. In 1940, the Johannesburg Art Gallery purchased one of his pictures, making it the first painting by a Black artist to enter a museum collection.

In 1938, Sekoto won second prize in the May Esther Bedford Art Competition

In 1938, Gerard Sekoto won second prize for a painting he submitted to the May Esther Bedford Art Competition, organised by Fort Hare University College. This was the first prize he won for painting. Sekoto had trained as a teacher and had a secret passion for art. He would hide his work and only show it to his closest friends. In 1938, at the age of 25, he left for Johannesburg to pursue a career as an artist. He lived with relatives in Gerty Street, Sophiatown, and held his first solo exhibition in 1939.

Sekoto's decision to move to Johannesburg was influenced by his desire to familiarise himself with the country and be a part of the liberal artistic White community. He quickly became recognised as a notable artist in Johannesburg art circles. During this time, he also met various new artist friends, including Judith Gluckman, who taught him how to use oil paints, and Alexis Preller, who gave him his first set of oil paints.

In 1940, the Johannesburg Art Gallery purchased one of Sekoto's pictures, making it the first painting by a black artist to enter a museum collection. This was a significant milestone, as when Sekoto first arrived in Johannesburg, he faced racial discrimination and was even denied a job as a cleaner at the gallery because of his race.

In 1942, Sekoto moved to District Six in Cape Town, where he lived with the Manuel family. He joined a group called The New Group, which predominantly consisted of white artists. In 1945, he moved to Eastwood, Pretoria, marking the beginning of what is considered his golden period in art. During this time, he gained significant success, holding solo exhibitions at the Gainsborough Gallery in 1947 and The Christies Gallery in Pretoria.

In 1940, the Johannesburg Art Gallery purchased his painting, 'Yellow Houses'

Gerard Sekoto was a South African artist and musician, born on 9 December 1913 at the Lutheran Mission Station in Botshabelo, near Middelburg, Eastern Transvaal (now known as Mpumalanga). He was the son of a priest and teacher, and his father was a leading member of the new Christian converts. Sekoto's artistic talents emerged when he was a teenager, and he attended the Diocesan Teachers Training College in Pietersburg. However, he kept his artwork hidden and only showed it to his closest friends. In 1938, at the age of 25, Sekoto left for Johannesburg to pursue a career as an artist. He held his first solo exhibition in 1939.

In 1940, the Johannesburg Art Gallery purchased his painting, "Yellow Houses". This was the first painting by a black artist to be acquired by a municipal gallery in South Africa. It was a significant milestone for Sekoto and marked the beginning of his recognition as a notable artist in Johannesburg's art circles. The painting depicted a Sophiatown street scene and has since become one of the gallery's most cherished artworks.

Sekoto's work often depicted urban environments and the people who inhabited them, capturing the cultural activity and racial tensions of the time. His paintings serve as vivid historical records, providing a glimpse into the vibrant and diverse communities of South Africa, particularly in areas like District Six, that were later destroyed by the Apartheid government.

After gaining success and recognition in Johannesburg, Sekoto continued his artistic journey. In 1942, he moved to District Six in Cape Town, where he lived with the Manuel family and met other artists. He then moved to Eastwood, Pretoria, in 1945, marking the beginning of what is considered his "golden years" and the time when he produced his best art. During this period, he held solo exhibitions and continued to save money to support his artistic endeavours.

In 1947, Sekoto left South Africa and went into self-imposed exile in Paris, where he continued to pursue his artistic passions and played music to support himself.

In 1942, Sekoto moved to District Six in Cape Town

Gerard Sekoto was a South African artist and musician, born on 9 December 1913 at the Lutheran Mission Station in Botshabelo, near Middelburg, Eastern Transvaal (now known as Mpumalanga). As a child, Sekoto would draw with chalk, paper, and coloured pencils. His art skills emerged in his teenage years, when he attended the Diocesan Teachers Training College in Pietersburg. Sekoto trained as a school teacher but decided to launch his professional art career in 1938, leaving the rural areas of northern South Africa to travel to Johannesburg, where free association between different races was still possible.

In Johannesburg, Sekoto was introduced to the liberal artistic White community and met an artist, Judith Gluckman, who offered to teach him how to paint with oils. He quickly assimilated these techniques and was soon recognised as a notable artist in Johannesburg art circles. In 1940, the Johannesburg Art Gallery purchased one of his pictures, the first picture painted by a black artist to enter a municipal gallery collection.

In 1945, Sekoto moved to Eastwood in Pretoria. This period in Sekoto’s life is known as his "golden years" and is regarded as the time in which he produced his best art. In 1947, he left South Africa to live in Paris, planning to expose himself to the centre of the international art world. During his time in Paris, Sekoto worked as a pianist at a nightclub and sang and composed music. He would never return to South Africa, and artworks from his early period are highly sought after.

In 1945, Sekoto moved to Eastwood, Pretoria

In 1938, at the age of 25, Gerard Sekoto left for Johannesburg to pursue a career as an artist. He held his first solo exhibition in 1939 and, in 1940, the Johannesburg Art Gallery purchased one of his pictures—the first painting by a Black artist to enter a museum collection. In 1942, Sekoto moved to District Six in Cape Town, where he lived with the Manuel family. Here, he met George Pemba.

Sekoto's time in Eastwood is also marked by his growing success. In 1947, he had a solo exhibition at the Gainsborough Gallery, and another exhibition at The Christies Gallery in Pretoria. In 1949, Sekoto left South Africa to live in Paris, where he would remain in self-imposed exile. During his time in Paris, Sekoto worked as a pianist at a nightclub and played jazz and popular French songs. He also continued to draw and take photographs, capturing images of the places he visited and moved to during this time.

In 1947, Sekoto held a solo exhibition at the Gainsborough Gallery

In 1947, South African artist Gerard Sekoto held a solo exhibition at the Gainsborough Gallery in Johannesburg. This was the same year that he left South Africa for Paris, France, where he would live in self-imposed exile.

Sekoto is recognised as a pioneer of urban Black art and social realism. He was born in 1913 in Botshabelo, a German Lutheran Mission Station near Middelburg in the Transvaal. His father, Andreas Sekoto, was a priest and school teacher. As a child, Sekoto drew with chalk, paper, and coloured pencils, and his artistic skills emerged during his teenage years when he attended the Diocesan Teachers Training College in Pietersburg.

Sekoto's reputation as an artist began to grow following a group exhibition at the Gainsborough Gallery in 1939. That same year, he was invited to exhibit with the South African Art Academy and participated in their annual exhibitions every year. In 1940, a government-owned gallery purchased one of Sekoto's paintings, titled "Yellow Houses". This was the first painting bought from a Black artist by a municipal gallery.

The financial success of Sekoto's 1947 solo exhibition at the Gainsborough Gallery, along with another solo exhibition at The Christies Gallery in Pretoria that same year, enabled him to pay his way to exile. Both exhibitions were critically acclaimed in South Africa, and by the time he left for Paris, Sekoto had a considerable following of art collectors in his home country and was a familiar name in the media and art circles. This was an astonishing achievement for a Black artist in South Africa at the time.

Sekoto's paintings are considered vivid historical records of urban environments and the people who lived there. They offer a glimpse of what life was like in areas like District Six, which were destroyed by the Apartheid government.

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