Skotnes, Cecil

Born: 1926 East London

An artist working in oil, acrylic, watercolour, gouache, stucco, ink, wash, pencil and charcoal, engraved and incised painted wood panels.

A muralist and graphic artist. He depicts figures, still life, portraits and landscapes and produces abstract works.

Studies: 1946 under Henrich Steiner in Florence, Italy as well as attending classes at the Witwatersrand Technical College;

1947-50 University of the Witwatersrand under Professor Heather Martienssen (1915-79), Douglas Portway and Charles Argent, gaining a BA (FA).

Profile: 1953 appointed Secretary of the Johannesburg Local Committee for Non-European Adult Education and took control of the Polly Street Adult Centre, Johannesburg, establishing a black urban art school; 1963 appointed President of the SA Council of Artists; 1963 a founder member of the Amadlozi Group; 1966-68 Head of Damelin Art College; 1970 co-founder with Walter Battiss, of the African Council for Art;1981 a part time lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch; 1981 began art classes in Nyanga and District Six, Cape Town, for black artists; 1981 external examiner for the Michaelis School of Fine Art. In 1956 worked with Sydney Kumalo in the Kroonstad Roman Catholic Mission Church. Illustrated a book of poems entitled Tales, by Sinclair Beiles, 1972, Gryphon Poets, Johannesburg. 1973 produced a portfolio of 43 original three colour woodcuts entitled“The Assassination of Shaka” with poems by Stephen Gray, published in 1974 by McGraw-Hill, Johannesburg; 1974 produced “The White Monday Disaster”, a portfolio with Stephen Gray; 1975 “Baudelaire’s Voyage to the Cape”, a portfolio with Stephen Gray; 1975 memorial portfolio on the poet Charles Eglington. 1966 designed the Republic Festival commemorative series of stamps. Numerous illustrations for books and magazines. Has a great interest in music; appointed Chairman of the Johannesburg Bantu Music Festival in 1955 and has organised further festivals and created a music library. Toured the USA in 1963;1975 visited Belgium as a guest of the Belgian Government. Has lived in the Cape from 1978. 1982 visited Jerusalem as a guest of the Jerusalem Foundation.

Father of John Skotnes and Pippa Skotnes

Exhibitions: He has participated in numerous group exhibitions from 1948 in SA, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Zimbabwe, North and South America, Yugoslavia, the UK, Portugal, Spain,The Netherlands, West Germany, Greece and Israel; 1954 Whippman’s Gallery, Johannesburg, joint exhibition with Larry Scully; 1957 Pretoria Art Centre, first of 23 solo exhibitions held in SA; 1960 and 1964 Quadrennial Exhibitions; 1965 Grosvenor Gallery, London, first solo exhibition held in the UK; 1966 Grosvenor Gallery, London, joint exhibition with Sydney Kumalo; 1972 Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, joint exhibition of tapestries with Bettie Cilliers-Barnard; 1972 Pretoria Art Museum, Retrospective Exhibition; 1974 Durban Art Gallery, exhibition of “The Assassination of Shaka”; 1978 National Museum, Bloemfontein, joint exhibition with Aileen Lipkin and Wendy Vincent; 1979 National Museum, Bloemfontein, joint exhibition with Thelma Chait, Olivia Scholnick and Lorraine Edelstein; 1985 Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, joint exhibition with Sydney Kumalo, Ezrom Legae and Edoardo Villa; 1985 Tributaries, touring SA and West Germany; 1987 Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, joint exhibition with John Skotnes; 1988 Johannesburg Art Gallery, Vita Art Now.

Awards: 1965 Chamber of Mines Gold Medal, Transvaal Academy; 1968 Gold Medal, SA Breweries Biennial; 1972 Gold Medal, Third International Biennial of Graphic Art, Florence, Italy; 1976 Medal of Honour for Painting, SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns; 1976 set of commemorative medallions, 1820 Settlers National Monument Foundation for contribution to art in SA.

Represented: Ann Bryant Gallery, East London; Durban Art Gallery; Hester Rupert Art Museum, Graaff-Reinet; Johannesburg Art Gallery; Johannesburg Central Library; Kettering Gallery, Northamptonshire, UK; King George VI Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth; National Museum, Bloemfontein; Pretoria Art Museum; Rand Afrikaans University; Royal Belgian Library Collection, Brussels, Belgium; Royal Danish Art Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark; Royal Museum of Fine Art, Denmark; SA National Gallery, Cape Town; Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg; Uffizi Print Cabinet, Florence, Italy; University of Cape Town; University of the Orange Free State; University of South Africa; University of Stellenbosch; University of Uppsala, Sweden; University of the Witwatersrand; William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley.

Public Commissions: 1961 large mural, Thabong Catholic Mission Church, Orange Free State; 1965 large mural, Kroonstad Roman Catholic Cathedral, Orange Free State; 1966 large mural, Western Bank, African Life Centre, Johannesburg; 1984 SA Airways 50th Anniversary; 1985 carved panels, the Sand du Plessis Theatre, Bloemfontein; 1985 works in Kimberley Library; 1985-86 murals, 1820 Settlers Monument, Grahamstown.

References: Art SA; SAA; 20C SA Art; SAP&S; SAP&D; AMC7; SSAP; BSAK 1&2; Our Art 3; SA Art; Oxford Companion to 20C Art; 3Cs; AASA; LSAA; Artlook February 1968, February 1969, January 1972, May 1972, April 1974, April 1975 & August/September 1975; Sa Panorama July 1972, February 1974, June 1975 & January 1984; Habitat no 7, 1974 & no 56, 1983; Gallery Summer 1981 & Winter 1983