Cristo Coetzee

Cristo Coetzee 1929 - 2000

Stil life Flowers

Oil on board

23cm x 18cm

35cm x 30cm Framed .

Christo Coetzee was born on 24 March 1929 at 54 Biccard Street, Turfontein, Johannesburg, to Josef Adriaan Coetzee and Francina Sofia Kruger (18881964) (who claimed to be a relation of President ). The family had been farming in the  district, but were forced by drought and the dilution of income by a large number of sons on the Coetzee family farm, Strydpoort, to seek an income in the rich mining economy of the  some time before Christo's birth. Christo's father developed a lung condition colloquially referred to as miners'  and moved to the building industry, where a talent for drawing became evident. Christo would later attribute his artistic talents to his father and his business acumen to his mother. Christo's father died in 1939 and he was raised by his mother and two sisters, Gertruida (20 years his senior) and Johanna (16 years older).

Christo attended Parkview Primary School and then , where he became an enthusiastic art student. In the years 1946 to 1950 he attended the  (Wits), where his fellow students were , , , Ruth Allen (Furness), , Anna Vorster and Gerda Meyer (Eloff). With Scully, Skotnes, Vorster and Erasmus, he would become part of the so-called , a loosely knit group better known for their subsequent careers than any coherent aesthetic philosophy.

At Wits Christo designed decor and costumes for drama productions. Influential teachers were Charles Argent, Maria Stein-Lessing, , and , who would become his first wife.

After graduation from Wits with a degree in fine art in 1951, Christo Coetzee had his first solo exhibition in January of that year. This exhibition was opened by South African National Gallery director John Paris, and featured portraits in   style.