Artist Database

Sidney Goldblatt, born to Lithuanian Jewish parents in Johannesburg 1919, spent a decade working in business before leaving to pursue his long-held desire to be an artist. After saving enough he left South Africa to study at the Anglo French Art Centre in London at the recommendation of Maurice Van Essche. He was also tutored by Fernand Léger and André Lhote in Paris between 1950 and 1951, before returning to London to study sculpture at the Sir John Cass Academy.

After returning to Hillbrow, Goldblatt started his own private art school and held solo exhibitions at Whippman’s Gallery and Lidchi Gallery. He married Wendy Webster in 1955 and in 1957 the Goldblatts travelled to Europe for a year, settling in the south of Spain. Goldblatt drew inspiration from the European art he encountered and fell in love with the colours of the Spanish landscape.

Returning to South Africa in 1958, Goldblatt won much acclaim for his Spanish works in South Africa and was praised by critics at the Venice Biennale. In following decades, Goldblatt expanded his repertoire to include sculptural works as well as printmaking, and he explored a more abstract visual language, famously painting the Yom Kippur War (1953) by creating while listening to radio broadcasts of the conflict. Artistic freedom was very important to Goldblatt, this was evident in his pursuit of variety and the spontaneity of his work, he explored a variety of subjects and mediums, following his inspiration. He passed away unexpectedly in 1979.