Nel Erasmus


Nel Erasmus (born in 1928 in Bethal, Transvaal Province, South Africa) explores energies as they play through horses, flowers and human bodies to name a few. Central to her work is also the observation of the relationship of energies which are opposing forces, such as the two sides of the body and the bond between those two sides.

Nel Erasmus says, “I am happiest when heart and head seem to walk a tightrope on the canvas – where feeling and thought seem to be in tension. For me these two sometimes manage to contain me and my shadow, my heart and my head…”.[1]

Erasmus studied at the Académie Ranson, Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Sorbonne in Paris in 1953 and exhibited her works for the first time in Paris in 1955. Her first solo exhibition was in South Africa in 1957 and she is one of the earliest abstract artists of South Africa. Erasmus has produced thirty solo exhibitions, taken part in more than seventy group exhibitions and her writing has been widely published. Although Erasmus was never a ‘popular’ painter, her work received much critical acclaim and she was the only South African artist to be included in Michel Seuphor’s 1964 survey of abstraction, Abstract Painting: 50 Years of Accomplishment.

Three other South Africans who spent time with Erasmus in Paris in the early 1950s and who appeared to have been inspired by the intuitive processes of post-war abstract painting in Paris were Christo Coetzee, Paul du Toit, and Eric Loubser.[2]

Abstract Art in Africa

Nel Erasmus was an early proponent of Abstract Art in South Africa – both as a practice and a principle. Erasmus also influenced the South African art scene as director of the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) (1966–1977).

The New Church Museum curator Marilyn Martin, who curated the Museum's Thinking, Feeling, Head, Heart exhibition, describes Erasmus' abstract content through two of her works, Space Dance II and Whirlwind, which are both characterised by brightly coloured forms in flux. Martin says, “The time bound object dissolves and reshapes itself into symbols, images and signs, which it actually and secretly contains within itself. These signs can point more directly towards the essence of a thing, its energy; its relatedness to things other than itself." [3]

Education and influencers

Career junctions

Painting periods

Director of the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) 1966–1977

Nel Erasmus worked at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) from 1957 as Professional Officer until her retirement as Director in 1977. She has contributed to the acquisition of artworks to public and corporate (especially Sanlam and Sasol) collections in South Africa, in particular the international modern and contemporary collection at the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG).[4]

Erasmus’ notorious acquisition in 1973, the year Picasso died, of Pablo Picasso’s Tête d’Arlequin (1971) was made possible by funding from The Friends of the Museum organization. The acquisition of this painting of a clown met with resistance from conservative, censored, isolated, apartheid South Africa, “No normal person would like this painting”, and provoked Erasmus to write a paper about why the acquisition was made.[1]

Nel Erasmus writes in response to the response of visitors to Picasso’s Tête d’Arlequin, that art is not there to please or depict, it is there to reveal. Erasmus says that because Picasso had such an impact on art in our times, museums should have an example of his work in their permanent collections. With this acquisition JAG now had an example of Picasso’s mature post-cubist work. Erasmus asks the public not to refer to the painting as that of a clown, but as a harlequin and so give him the respect he is due. [5]

Erasmus explained that it was policy of other art museums in South Africa to make collections of South African art and JAG did have a policy to focus on international art.[6] During her tenure she also grew the South African collection extensively. By 1975 a exhibition of 40 artists was held of JAG's holdings.[7]

Current work

Nel Erasmus is in her 80s and still paints daily. The most recent exhibitions she has participated in were solo exhibitions in 2009 in the Dawid Ras Art Gallery (Johannesburg) and in 2015 in the Dawid Ras Gallery (Cape Town), and since then various group exhibitions.

Awards and honors

Selected exhibitions

Selected collections and works

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 Nel Erasmus – Review by Marelize van Zyl (editor), Deon Viljoen, Antoinette Glatthaar-Theron, Linda Stupart, Elza Miles. Stellenbosch Modern and Contemporary (SMAC) Art Gallery exhibition catalogue, 2011.
  2. ↑ 1988 Paris and South African artists, 1850-1965 by Lucy Alexander. Unknown, 1988. Amazon.com
  3. ↑ "The New Church Museum". thenewchurch.co. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  4. ↑ "Nel Erasmus". nelerasmus.com. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  5. ↑ The Star, Johannesburg, 13 March 1974
  6. ↑ Emerging Johannesburg by Richard Tomlinson, Robert Beauregard, Lindsay Bremmer, Xolela Mangcu. Routledge, 2014. ISBN 978-0415935593. Amazon.com
  7. ↑ need reference
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