Black plate with a figure wearing a blanket and headdress

Notes

The Kalahari Studio (1948–1973) holds a unique place in South Africa’s art history, combining local cultural designs with boldly innovative modern styles to create ceramics rich in history and meaning.

Founder members of the Kalahari Studio, Aleksanders Klopcanovs and Elma Vestman manufactured a diverse variety of products. The studio’s enduring legacy lies in its synthesis of indigenous South African forms with modernist design, leaving an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of the mid-20th century.

Klopkanovs was the source of the figurative designs as can be ascertained by his sketchbooks. He would often draw a circle around a particular figure to get a sense of how it would look on a plate.

Female figures with blankets were a recurring theme. In this example, the natural terracotta colour used to depict the figure, presented against a black background, gives a dramatic silhouette effect.