Artists

Martin Qgibinsizi Tose was born in Germiston, Johannesburg. Tose’s art training included part-time classes at The Open School in Braamfontein between 1975 and 1977 under Nathaniel Mokgosi, followed by three years at Katlehong Art Centre where he studied under Thato Mamabolo. He is known as a painter, graphic artist and sculptor in wood and bronze, with subject matter including landscapes, wildlife and figurative studies. Using form and colour, Tose created abstract images depicting the everyday life and the hardships endured in the Katlehong township, which affected him deeply.

Tose was a member of the Katlehong Art Society and taught sculpture and painting at the Katlehong Art Centre from 1984. In 1978 he was awarded the Ministry of Education’s Most Promising Sculptor Award for work exhibited at the Katlehong Art Centre. Martin Tose participated in a number of solo and group exhibitions in South Africa and the United States of America. His artwork is represented in a few Embassy collections, several corporate collections including the Standard Bank Collection, and in numerous university and national art collections nationwide, including the University of Fort Hare and the Iziko South African Art Gallery.

Martin Tose died in 2004 in the Ekurhuleni township of Katlehong.