Artists

Gerhard Batha was born in Vienna and studied art at the Graphic School in the city, one of the leading design schools in Europe at the time. He specialised in painting, stone engraving and reproduction, under Professor J Wolfsberger. In 1961 and 1962, he was accepted to study under Oskar Kokoschka at the famous Summer School in Salzburg, the oldest of its kind in Europe. In 1969 Batha moved to South Africa where he opened a printing and reproduction business. He became a full-time professional artist in 1982. From 1984, he was represented by the Everard Read gallery in Johannesburg, where he had two solo exhibitions. He is well known as an energetic colourist and paints expressionistic portraits, still lifes and seascapes, as well as landscapes of South African and Mediterranean locations. His work is in many local and international collections, including the Standard Bank, Chase Manhattan Bank and De Beers.