Art Club Johannesburg: Printmaking

Impressions: Walter Battiss and Rorke’s Drift Printmaking

Few people know that Walter Battiss acted as external moderator for the printmaking department at Rorke’s Drift while he was Head of Fine Arts at Unisa. He often travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to view the students’ work, and he started collecting their prints.

Wilhelm van Rensburg, Senior Art Specialist & Head Curator, reflects on this episode in Battiss’ life, and looks at the prints Battiss had assembled that are still in his Estate. The influence on Battiss’ own printmaking will also be discussed.