Hannes Harrs

Notes

Hannes Harrs was an abstract painter, printmaker, and sculptor who was strongly influenced by the art and artifacts of Africa. He was particularly fascinated by the ceremonial raffia wraps of the Kuba peoples (DRC) which he incorporated or alluded to in a number of his works.

This bronze appears to have been cast from an imprint of a cloth.

Born in Germany, Harrs was introduced to African material culture through his uncle, a ship’s captain, who brought him artifacts from South Africa. This early exposure sparked his lasting fascination with the continent and led him to settle in Johannesburg in 1950. There, he studied at the Johannesburg School of Arts from 1950 to 1956 and held his first solo exhibition at the Egon Guenther Gallery in 1961.

Harrs exhibited both locally and internationally throughout his career, including in Argentina, Germany, Italy, Namibia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States of America. His work is held in South African collections such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Absa Bank Gallery, Sasol, the University of Pretoria, and the University of the Witwatersrand. Internationally, his work is represented in the collections of the Rathaus in Eckernförde, Germany; the Richemont Collection in Switzerland; and Les Sacks in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Provenance

Colin Sayer, purchased Chelsea Gallery 2000