Anton Van Wouw was a renowned Dutch-born sculptor who spent most of his adult life in South Africa. The Van Wouw Museum in Pretoria, which was his last residence and also his studio, houses superb examples of his sculptures and other artworks, as well as documents and photographs relating to his fascinating life.
Van Wouw had a great love for his adopted country and spent much time in the wide outdoors, getting to know the indigenous people. Some of his smaller sculptures, which are less formal than his larger works, reflect how deeply he understood and appreciated these people through the way he portrayed their facial expressions and captured their moods. Some of his best works are displayed at the Van Wouw Museum, including The Thinker, The Laughing Basutu, The Shangaan, The Skapu Player, The Hunter Drinking and The Sleeping African.
Van Wouw also developed a great respect for the Boer nation and had an uncanny way of bringing out their tenacity and their hope for the future in his works. One of his most noteworthy sculptures is the figure of a woman incorporated into the Women’s Monument near Bloemfontein. Other monuments he is well known for include a bust of Boer General, General Christiaan de Wet, and a statue of the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, Louis Botha, which is on display in Durban.
Visitors to the Van Wouw Museum in Pretoria come to appreciate that Anton Van Wouw was not only a talented sculptor and artist, but he was a perceptive and compassionate man.
Opening Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10:00-16:00 (or by appointment)
