Artists

Ruth Prowse began her formal art training in 1900 at the Cape Town School of Art. Following this, she went to London to study at the Slade School of Art and The Royal Academy and then at La Palette in Paris. Prowse returned to Cape Town in 1908 to teach art and the following year she became a member of the South African Society of Artists. Prowse was heavily involved in the arts scene in Cape Town. In 1928, she was selected as the Keeper of the Michaelis Collection and served as a trustee of the Iziko South African National Gallery from 1948 to 1957. Prowse was a founding member of the New Group and was appointed as their chairperson in 1952. In 1965, she was awarded the South African Association of Arts Medal of Honour for her contribution to South African Arts. Prowse was a staunch advocate for the preservation of historic buildings and upon her death in 1967 she bequeathed her home, ‘The Retreat’, in Woodstock, Cape Town for use as an art centre. This initiative, named the Ruth Prowse Art Centre, came to fruition thanks to the efforts of artist Erik Laubscher who served as the centre’s director.