Artists

Otto Schröeder was born in London in 1913 to an English mother and German father. After World War I, the family moved to Cologne, Germany and Schröeder began to take an interest in art. While he was passionate about art, he studied commerce after school and went on to work at an export company. Meanwhile, Schröeder took art classes during his free time. In 1939, his work sent him to Cape Town but, at the outset of World War II, his contract was terminated. He decided to stay in the city to pursue art full-time as an artist and tutor. However, for a part of the war Schröeder, as a German national, was interned at the Baviaanspoort camp near Pretoria. He remained in South Africa after his release and made his way to South West Africa in 1947. Schröeder settled in Windhoek and he wrote many articles on the art and artists of the area, which helped to stimulate interest. Schröeder’s preferred medium for his portraits and landscapes was pastel. He participated in numerous exhibitions in South Africa and Namibia, was an active member of many arts organisations, and even formed part of the selection committee to choose artists to represent South Africa at the 1956 Venice Biennale. In 1962, he was appointed as the first Chair of Fine Arts at the University of Stellenbosch, a position he held until his death in 1975.