Artists

Reginald Turvey was born in 1882 in Ladybrand in the Orange Free State. He attended Grey College in Bloemfontein, where the headmaster recognised his artistic talent and persuaded his parents to send him to the Slade School of Fine Art in London instead. In 1911, Turvey returned to South Africa via an 18-month stay in Japan, where his friend the British potter Bernard Leech had relocated. In 1913, his father purchased a farm in Kenya, and Turvey moved there with his parents. Unfortunately, his father died the following year, and Turvey subsequently sold the farm to finance a move to St Ives, England. His friend, Leech, had also moved there, and Turvey established a home and studio across the street. In 1940, Turvey moved his family back to South Africa as his son was sick, and the food he required was unavailable in wartime England. He would live and work in South Africa for the rest of his life.

Turvey’s works encompass landscapes, street scenes, still lifes, and animals – the latter were, at times, reminiscent of cave paintings. The influence of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists can also be detected in some of his works. Turvey participated in several exhibitions in South Africa and England, including at the Royal Academy in London and the Pretoria Art Museum. His works can be found in the collections of the South African National Gallery in Cape Town; Durban Art Gallery; William Humphreys Art Gallery in Kimberley; Pretoria Art Museum; Wits Art Museum in Johannesburg; and Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg.