Cecily Sash
Cecily Sash (1924/1925 – 2019)[1][2] was a South African artist, designer, and teacher.[3] She taught design at the University of the Witwatersrand for more than 20 years.[4]
Cecily Sash | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1924/1925 Delmas, Transvaal, Union of South Africa |
| Died | 2019 Britain |
| Nationality | South African |
| Education | Witwatersrand Technical College Art School, Chelsea College of Arts, Camberwell College of Art, University of Witwatersrand |
| Occupation | Artist |
Early life and education
Cecily Sash was born in 1924 or 1925 in Delmas, a small town in Transvaal, Union of South Africa to parents Bessie (née Liverman) and Max Sash.[3][5]
From 1943 to 1946, she studied art at Witwatersrand Technical College Art School in Johannesburg, studying under Maurice van Essche.[1][4] Followed by study at Chelsea Polytechnic (now Chelsea College of Arts) in London, under Henry Moore; and Camberwell School of Art (now Camberwell College of Art) with Victor Pasmore.[3][4] In 1954, Sash received her fine arts degree from University of Witwatersrand.[4]
Career
After graduation she briefly taught at Jeppe Girls’ High School in Johannesburg.[3] Shortly after she started teaching at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she remained until the 1970s.[4] In 1965, she was awarded an Oppenheimer grant in order to further study arts education in Britain and the United States.[4] In 1974, she moved to Britain, where she settled in the Welsh Marches.[4]
Sash was primarily a painter, but also worked in mosaic and tapestries.[4] Her paintings had different focus periods including one of abstraction, and one of environmental focus.[4] Sash painted many South African murals that were commissioned, including at the Transvaal provincial administration building in Pretoria; the University of the Witwatersrand; and the Transvaal Institute of Architects.[3]
She was part of the Amadlozi Group founded in 1961, which included Cecil Skotnes, Edoardo Villa, Guiseppe Cattaneo, and Sydney Kumalo.[6] The name “Amadlozi” (Zulu: ancestors) was used for a conscious appropriation of African sculptural traditions. In 1965, Sash was included in the seminal South Africa artists’ exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery in London.[3]
Sash died in 2019, at the age of 94.[3]
Bibliography
- Sash, Cecily; Martienssen, Heather (1974). Cecily Sash: Retrospective 1954-1974 (exhibition). Pretoria Art Museum (South Africa), Durban Art Gallery (South Africa). Pretoria Art Museum (South Africa).
- Thorne, Victor (1999). Cecily Sash: Working Years. Studio Sash.
- Sash, Cecily (2004). Cecily Sash (exhibition). Millinery Works Gallery. Millinery Works, Cecily Sash.
- Sash, Cecily (2007). Cecily Sash: Food for Thought: an Exhibition of Recent Works (exhibition). Millinery Works Gallery. Millinery Works.
References
- Buckman, David (2006). Artists in Britain since 1945: M to Z. Art Dictionaries Limited. p. 1405. ISBN 978-0-9532609-5-9.
- Hobbs, Philippa; Rankin, Elizabeth (1997). Printmaking: In a Transforming South Africa. New Africa Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-86486-334-8.
- Kirkby, Colin (2019-09-04). "Cecily Sash obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- "Cecily Sash". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- Chilvers, Ian (2004). Diccionario del arte del siglo XX (in Spanish). Editorial Complutense. p. 729. ISBN 978-84-7491-600-3.
- Okeke, Chika (2003), "Africa: Modern African art", Oxford Art Online, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/oao/9781884446054.013.60000100082, ISBN 978-1-884446-05-4, retrieved 2022-06-16