Notes

Born in Joniskis, Lithuania in 1892, sculptor Moses Kottler moved to South Africa as a child with his parents. Kottler would later relocate to Jerusalem, Palestine (now Israel) to study as he has shown an interest in sculpting.

Without access to training in the medium at the time, Kottler took an autodidact approach, teaching himself to sculpt while studying painting and drawing at the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem. In 1915, he would settle in South Africa after further studies in Munich and work in both Paris and London.

Moving to Cape Town, Kottler established himself as a sculptor and he befriended cartoonist D C Boonzaier and art critic Bernard Lewis. Alongside sculpting he also continued to paint, focusing on still life and portraiture. After his marriage to Eva Goldberg in 1928, the couple travelled Europe extensively between 1929–1932.

Following their four-year ‘art tour’ of Europe they returned to South Africa, settling in Johannesburg where Kottler continued his work as a sculptor. These experiences abroad impacted Kottler’s approach to sculpture, allowing him to break away from the academic tradition established by other South African sculptors at the time.

‘In 1932 Kottler executed his first commission, eight stone figures for the library building. Other commissions followed and include The Figure of Justice for the Magistrate’s Courts (1935); Mother Earth, Labour, and Science for Anglo American Corporation building in Johannesburg (1941); Man and Woman for Population and Registration Building in Pretoria in 1956–57.’¹

Kottler was both a member of the New Group and a long-time member of the advisory committee of the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Together with Anton van Wouw and Lippy Lipshitz, Kottler is seen as a leading South African sculptor of his time.

^1. Natalie Knight, 'Moses Kottler (1892-1977)' in Lantern, May 1997, page 14.

South African History Online, (2023) Moses Kottler. Available: https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/moses-kottler (Accessed 17 February 2023).

Hans Fransen (1982) Three Centuries of South African Art, Johannesburg: A D Donker.

Esmé Berman (1970) Art & Artists of South Africa, Cape Town: A A Balkema.

Provenance

Commissioned for the Anglo American Corporation building, Johannesburg, 1941.

Vergelegen Wine Estate (owned by Anglo American), Somerset West, 2016.