GREGOIRE BOONZAIRE

Gregoire Boonzaier

OIL

Signed

560 x 430mm approx

Born in Newlands, Cape Town in 1909 and lived most of his life at Onrus, Western Cape.The son of D.C. Boonzaaier (qv.), Gregoire pursued art against his father's wishes. It was, however, through him that he was exposed to it, as well as a host of artistic personalities. Gregoire left SA in 1935 to study at the Heatherley and Central Schools in London. His work was seen in the company of SASA members on a number of the Annual Exhibitions of Contemporary SA Art held at the SANG in the 1930s.He returned to SA in 1937, joined SASA and entered work on the SASA 35 th Annual Exhibition at the Argus Gallery in that year. This was the same year in which he became a founder of the New Group. Chairman of the latter for ten years, he gave it prominence as an alternative to the more traditional norms of SASA. Gregoire is mentioned by Berman (1983: 84-85) as one of the major exponents of "Cape Impressionism", which in his case owed much to the precedent of SASA member Pieter Wenning (qv.). His work came in for stinging criticism in David Lewis's The Naked Eye in 1946. Lewis held that his best work had been done ten years earlier, and that "since then he has produced little that is of real and lasting merit ... for years just the same old thing, time and time again, like a gramophone needle caught in the syncopation of an old dance record" .I do not have provenance on this specific work other than it comes from a large collection with provenance.These Paintings and antiques come from collectors who have been collecting SA and Irish Art for over 25years.This large collection of top artists includes many items purchased at both local and international auctions.Some of the works are being sold on behalf of other people, and the sale price that you pay will include any commissions fees charges or other sundry costs that they may apply.....so what you bid is what you pay !!! Many of the works include items that have provenances from Sothebys ,Bonhams, Major and Minor estate sales, and letters and receipts from many previous owners. ,so you are bidding on that basis, as not all have this. You are welcome to enquire regarding individual pieces if you like, and you must do this prior to your bid being placed, because once you bid, you are accepting this as a condition of the sale, should you be the successful bidder. All of the Art that I am advertising has either been personally purchased by myself, either at auctions land or on line, or acquired at sales or taken on consignment .All work is entered in the opinion of the owner, as being from the artist listed as signed on the piece ,but may also be deemed in the style of that artist, attributed to that artist or in the manner of the artist. It is being sold as purchased, acquired, consigned, inherited and you are accepting it as this , and that it is sold to you As IS.