PROFILE
Willie Bester is regarded as one of South Africa's most important resistance artists. He incorporates recycled material into his paintings, assemblages and sculpture, usually commenting on political injustices and human rights issues of the day.
Born 1956, Montagu, Cape
EDUCATION
1991
Full-time professional artist
No formal art training : Mostly self-taught
1986
Community Arts Project, Cape Town
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017
Transformation, Fynarts Festival, Space
Gallery, Hermanus, South Africa
2016
Comprehensive, Art B , Bellville South Africa
2015
Sculptures, Imibala Trust Gallery, Somerset West,
South Africa
2014
Community, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town,
South Africa.
Backyard, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2013
Recent works, Sol Plaatjie, Kimberlie South Africa
2011
Recent Works, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Bloemfontein
South Africa
2009
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Sasol Art Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Investec Private Bank & US Wordfest Artist
2008
Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town
2007
Montagu Museum
2005
34 LONG, Cape Town
2003
Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
2002
SASOL Museum, Stellenbosch
2001
Centre D'Art Contemporain, Brussels, Belgium Grahamstown Featured artist Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
2000
Arte Assortite, Torino , Italy
1999
Opere Recenti, Studio D'Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy Archivio Della Scuola Romana, Introdotto da Achille Bonito Oliva, Roma, Italy
1998
Emporain, Dakar
1994
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
1993
South African Association of Art, Cape Town
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
1992
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
Millpark, Port Elizabeth
1991
Gallery International, Cape Town
1982
Forum, Cavendish Square, Cape Town
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2016
This Place-This Space, Moore Gallery,
Franschoek, South Africa
Outdoor Exhibition, Mok Gallery,
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Melrose Gallery, Johannesburg South Africa
2015
Die Burger 100 years of Art at Artscape,
Cape Town South Africa
Changchun Sculpture Symposium - China
2014
Libertas Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Summer Season, Everard Read Gallery,
Cape Town, South Africa
Winter, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2012
Small Works, Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town,
South Africa
Beelden aan Zee, Netherlands
2011
15th Anniversary, Everard Read Gallery,
Cape Town, South Africa
Implemented Environments, (I Art) Brundyn &
Gonsalves, South Africa
2010
20 Years of SA Art Sculptures, Nirox,
Johannesburg, South Africa
2009
34 Long Fine Art, Cape Town , South Africa
Studio Rafaelli. Trento Italy
2008
A Way Through, Everard Read, Cape Town, South Africa
2007
Rocca di Castagnoli, Biennale Internazionalr dÁrt, Italy
2006
Tokio, Mori Art Museum: June - September
2005
London, Hayward Gallery: 10 Feb - 17 April
Paris, Centre Pompidou: 15 May - 20 August
Studio d'Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy
2004
Dublin Exhibition
10 Years - Klein Karoo Arts Festival, Outshoorn, South Africa
Milk Can Project, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
Africa Remix - Düsseldorf, Museum Kunst Palast: 24 July - 7 Nov
2003
Suidoos Festival, Peninsula Technikon
'Coexistence- Contemporary Cultural Production in South African' Rose Art Museum, USA
2002
Passport to South Africa, Centro Culturale "Trevi", Bolzano, Italy
Sculpture Biennale, Spier Estate, Stellenbosch
National Art Gallery of Malaysia
King George VI Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth
2001
Barcelona Contemporary Cultural Center, Spain
Studio d'Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy
2000
Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, New York
Project Conflux, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
1999
Art Salon, Bay Hotel, Cape Town
Rewind/Fast Forward, Van Reekum Museum of Modern Art, Appeldoorn, Netherlands
Claiming Art Reclaiming Space, National Museum of African Art, Washington DC.
Studio d'Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy
Artery, Joao Ferreira Fine Art, Cape Town
1998
Biennale de l'Art Contemporian, Dakar, Senegal
The Edge of Awareness, World Health Organization, Geneve, Switzerland, New York, Soa Paulo, New Delhi
Still our Land, Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, joint with Zwelethu Mthethwa
Project Conflux, Tendances Mikado Gallery, Luxembourg
Project Conflux, Hotel de Ville, Dijon, France
Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
1996
Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, USA
Basel Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland
Simunye (we are one) exhibition, Adelson Gallery,
New York
Tradition in Tradition, October Gallery, London
Contemporary Art from South Africa,
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
Contemporary S.A. Art 85 - 95, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
South African Art to Atlanta, City Gallery East, Atlanta, USA
OTRO PAIS : ESCALAS AFRICANAS, Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona
The other journey (Africa and the Diaspora), Kunsthalle, Krems, Austria
Seven Artists from South Africa, Boumani Gallery,
San Francisco
1995
DIALOGUES OF PEACE, Exhibition for the UN’s 50th
Anniversary, Palaise Des Nations, Geneva
Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London
Africa ‘95 Festival, London
Art Salon at The Bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
De Kleur van Verandering Exhibition, The Hague, Netherlands
1994
UN ART CONTEMPORIAN D'AFRIQUE DU SUD, Galerie De L'Esplanade, La Defence, Paris
UN ART CONTEMPORIAN D'AFRIQUE DU SUD, Galerie De Ballens, Ballens, Switzerland
HEIMAT PROJECT, Grahamstown Art Festival
Stallion Gallery, Kentucky, USA
5th Havana Biennale, Cuba
Art Salon at The Bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town
Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany
CENTRO DE ARTE MODERNO, Las Palmas
1993
Venice Biennale, INCROCI DEL SUD : An exhibition of works by 27 contemporary South African Artists
INCROCI DEL SUD, Roma, Italy
INCROCI DEL SUD, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1992
Primart Gallery, Cape Town
ZABALAZA FESTIVAL, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. ( This exhibition traveled to London and other British centres and was subsequently shown in South Africa at the S.A. National Gallery, Cape Town)
1991
Operation Hunger Exhibition, Cape Town
Dorp Street Gallery, Stellenbosch
Gallery International, Cape Town
Cape Town Triennial Exhibition, Touring Exhibition
1990
Gallery International, Cape Town
Institute for African Studies, University of Cape Town
Jacobs & Liknaitsky Gallery, Cape Town
1989
Baxter Gallery, Cape Town
AWARDS
2009
Johnny Walker artist award
2004
Order of the Disa, Members Class, Government of South Africa
2003
Honorary medal for promotion of Fine Arts: Suid Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns
1992
Prix De L'Aigle, 4th Grand Prix International D'Arts Plastiques de la Vlille de Nice, France
1991
Merit Prize : Cape Triennial
REPRESENTED
MTN Collection, Cape Town
ENGEN, Cape Town
METROPOLITAN LIFE, Cape Town
Human Science Research Council, Cape Town
Cape Provincial Libraries, Cape
Foschini Ltd. Parow, Cape
GENCOR S.A., Johannesburg
Durban Art Gallery, Durban
Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria
Contemporary African Art Collection, Paris
Vodacom, Cape Town
Smithsonian Inst. USA
Oceana Fishing Group, Cape Town
NASPERS, Cape Town
Zonnebloem Art Collection, Stellenbosch
DE BEERS Collection, Johannesburg
BOE Bank, Cape Town
SASOL Limited, Johannesburg
South African National Gallery, Cape Town
Johannesburg Art Gallery
King George VI Gallery, Port Elizabeth
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
University of South Africa, Pretoria
Department of National Education, Pretoria
Department of Foreign Affairs, Pretoria
Cape of Good Hope Bank, Cape Town
Rembrandt Van Rijn Collection, Stellenbosch
South African Breweries Collection, Johannesburg
South African Broadcasting Corporation ( SABC TV ), Cape Town
South African Broadcasting Corporation ( SABC TV ), Johannesburg
SANLAM, Cape Town
WOOLTRU, Cape Town
Willie's work is also in numerous private collections in South Africa and abroad.
PUBLICATIONS
BERMAN, E., 1993. PAINTING IN SOUTH AFRICA. Page 363. Halfway House, Transvaal : Southern Book Publishers, ( ISBN 1-86812-345-6 )
BOGATZKE, H., BROCKMANN, R., LUDSZUWEIT, C. 2000. ONDAMBO - African Art Forum. Page 30 - 49, Page 174 - 177. Gamsberg Macmillan Publishers ( Pty ) Ltd.,
( ISNB 99916-0-211-9 )
FRANK, H., & D'AMATO., M., 1999. LIBERATED VOICES, Contemporary art from South Africa. Page 27. New York, London, Prestel, Munich : The Museum of African Art, ( ISBN 3-7913-2195-1 )
KONATE, Y., 2001. WILLIE BESTER. Bruxelles : Centre D'Art Contemporain
LEE, D., 2006. WILLIE BESTER, ART AS A WEAPON, Awareness Publishing Group ( Pty) LTD., ( ISBN 1-77008-178-X )
LITTLEFIELD KASFIR, S., 1999. CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART. Page. 159 -161. London : Thames & Hudson, ( ISBN 0-500-20328-8 )
MAGNIN, A., & SOULILLOU, J., 1996. CONTEMPORARY ART OF AFRICA. Pages 155 - 156, Page 158. New York & London : Thames a Hudson, ( ISBN 0-500-01713-1 )
PROUD, H., 2008. REVISIONS + EXPANDING THE NARRATIVE OF SOUTH AFRICAN ART. Stellenbosch Modern and Contemporary Art GAllery, ( SMAC), ( ISBN 1-874817-36-7 )
RANKIN, E., 1994. IMAGES OF METAL, Post-War Sculptures and Assemblages in South Africa. Pages 89 - 92. Johannesburg : Witwatersrand University Press, University of Witwatersrand Art Galleries,
( ISBN 1 86814 257 4 )
WILLIAMSON, S., & JAMAL, A., 1996. ART IN SOUTH AFRICA - THE FUTURE PRESENT. Pages 134 - 139. Claremont, South Africa : David Philip Publishers ( Pty ) Ltd., ( ISBN 0-86486-321-7 )
INTERNET ARTICLES
Wille Bester, Art Africa 01-12.2011
Willie Bester: Sculptor Extraordinaire
Willie Bester in Cape Town. 08-04-2003
The latest on Willie Bester 11-08-2002
Willie Bester's work " not African enough " for parliament 11-02-2001
Willie Bester 20-02-2000
Art News 19-11-2000
Sarah Bartmann 07-07-2000
Read all about Artist Willie Bester 17-08-1999