Notes

Willie Bester is a South African painter, sculptor, and collage artist. In 1986 he attended the Community Arts Project (CAP) in District Six which quickly equipped him with the social network to become an active player in the anti-apartheid movement. He is best known for his role in the protesting of the apartheid system through his mixed media and found object works produced in the 1980s and 1990s. "I am sometimes tempted to go to the seaside and to paint beautiful things from nature but I do not do it because my art has to be taken as a nasty tasting medicine for awakening conscience." Bester has had many solo, group, and biennale exhibitions throughout his illustrious career, and is visible in all major collections in South Africa as well as abroad. He currently lives in Kuilsrivier, South Africa with his wife, Evelyn, and their three children.

Provenance

Donated by Omar Valley.