Grethe Schonken (1916 - 2014) - Bo-Kaap

GRETHE HUTT-SCHONKEN

Born 1916, Died 2014

Extract from 'Dances of Black Africa, Art and Text by Grethe Hutt-Schonken', 1976, Educational Consortium of America

Grethe Hutt-Schonken was born near the border of what is now Lesotho in Southern Africa. After a period of schooling in the Netherlands, she became a journalist and illustrator of children’s books. Later she studied art in London, Paris and Munich.

Again, she undertook a series of expeditions into the interior of Africa. Her fascination with native carving and painting continued to grow. For many years now the subject matter of her painting has been the ethnic cultures of Black Africa. She has had her work accepted for international exchange exhibitions in West Germany, Jugoslavia, and Australia, and for the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil. Several of her works are in the permanent collection of the London County Council.