Artist Database

The landscapes of Nico Roos’ childhood greatly influenced his art. In his early years he was surrounded by the rural panoramas of the Northern Cape and Namibia. Roos studied art in school and was instructed in painting and drawing by artist Otto Schröeder. In 1960, he began pursuing his BA in Fine Arts from the University of Pretoria where he wrote a paper on Adolph Jentsch, which led to a friendship and mentorship with the artist. Through his course, Roos was also instructed by Zakkie Eloff, Anna Vorster, Gunther van der Reis, and Ernst de Jong. Roos went on to receive his master’s degree in 1970 and his doctorate in 1974 also from the University of Pretoria, where he would become a professor and the Head of the Fine Arts Department from the late 1970s to 1999. In 1978, he published a book on Namibian art entitled Art in South-West Africa. Roos participated in numerous exhibitions and held over 20 solo shows and during his career including a Retrospective at the University of Pretoria in 1991.