Artist Database

Eben van der Merwe was a founding member of the Bloemfontein Group, which was established by Prof Frik Scott in 1958 along with fellow artists Frans Clarehout, Reneé le Roux, and Alexander and Marianne Podlashuc. In 1961, he moved to Johannesburg and worked in advertising agencies as a typographer, visualiser, and designer and as the art director for the magazine section of Argus Group. In 1971, van der Merwe became a lecturer in Painting and Applied Design at the University of Pretoria, leaving the institution in 1976 to devote himself to being a full-time artist. Recognised for his landscapes, still lifes, and abstract paintings, van der Merwe’s work shows the influence of Gregoire Boonzaier and Paul Cezanne on the artist. He was twice represented at the Venice Biennale (1964 and 1968) and twice at the Sao Paolo Biennale (1963 and 1965).

Image courtesy H. J. Strydom.