Sketches from beyond death’s veil

Hodgins House presents a selection of drawings and sketches on Saturday from Robert Hodgins’ studio in Midrand, Gauteng, where he worked for the last 16 years of his life.

This unique and diverse collection, including early work and spanning almost Hodgins’ entire career, is being shown for the first time almost 10 years after the artist’s death.

Internationally, scholars, collectors, museums and galleries are paying more attention to sketches and drawings as is evident from exhibitions such as the drawings of Lucian Freud, shown recently at Matthew Marks Gallery in New York.

Hodgins was a prolific South African artist who was able to encapsulate vignettes of the South African art landscape.

The exhibition provides a rare glimpse into the usually private and forbidden domain of the artist’s studio.

These “knowing” and “thinking” drawings provide a unique insight into his working methods and creative process.

Many drawings on the exhibition refer recognisably to specific paintings in Hodgins’ extensive oeuvre.

This comprehensive collection of drawings and sketches, guest-curated by Alet Vorster, has been made available by the Hodgins estate and Jan Neethling, the artist’s long-time friend and partner.

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue, with essays by Jan Neethling and Wilhelm van Rensburg that serve to explore and document the collection.

– Citizen reporter