Portrait of Battiss

We are pleased to present Art by Others: Works on Paper from the Walter Battiss Estate, including Prints from Rorke’s Drift. Born in 1906 in the small Karoo town of Somerset East, Walter Battiss is one of South Africa’s most important artists. He was a master printmaker, draughtsman and watercolourist, and was also a dedicated educator, archaeologist and art critic. Battiss is perhaps most celebrated for his visionary Fook Island project, which he developed in the 1970s. Within this Fook universe, Battiss’ inventive spirit saw him create an imaginary society with its own history, geography, language and values. 

The sale includes prints Walter Battiss collected from students who trained at the Evangelical Lutheran Church Art and Craft Centre at Rorke’s Drift. Alongside acting as a mentor and external moderator at Rorke's Drift, Battiss also served on the Art and Craft Centre’s board in the early 1970s. Presented here are woodcuts, linocuts and a screenprint by the likes of Ephraim Ziqubu, John Muafengejo, Caiphas Nxumalo and Azaria Mbatha that reflect the distinct figurative and narrative style Rorke's Drift printmakers are known for. Alongside prints by Michael Costello, Chris Spies and Gerrit Hilhorst, whom Battiss taught, these artworks call to mind Battiss’ commitment to supporting a younger generation of artists and his influential teaching career which spanned close to four decades.

Notably, lots 29 and 36 are Walter Battiss' own works, rendered in the artist’s signature abstract style. Lot 19 by Katrine Harries and lot 39 by Enslin du Plessis express Battiss’ interest in collecting works from colleagues and contemporaries. Harries established the printmaking department at the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Arts, where Battiss served as an external moderator, while du Plessis exhibited with the New Group from 1938, of which Battiss was a founding member. There are also works by Walter Battiss’ friends, Dennis Press and Tom Phillips. Notably, Press and Battiss travelled through the Arizona Desert together, and Fook Book II was borne out of this trip. Together, these artworks speak to Battiss' unique output, the artistic circles he was part of and the creative partnerships he nurtured throughout his career.