Katrine Harries 1914-1978: South African Artist

Katrine Harries 1914-1978 (South African Artist)

to be exhibited in Cape Town/Kaapstad, Pretoria, Durban & Johannesburgpublished by S. A. National GalleryGalvin & Salescatalog #10Paperback6.8 x 9.4 inches, 18 pages
Katrine Harries (1914-1978), was born in Berlin. Her father was killed in action two weeks before her birth. After completing her junior school education Katrine attended art schools for seven years. By this time (1938), Hitler's oppression of Jews was becoming more widespread, and as Katrine's mother was of Jewish descent they decided to follow other members of the family to South Africa where they arrived in July 1939. After a few difficult years in Cape Town during which Katrine supported herself and her mother by painting designs on stinkwood ornaments, she gradually started establishing herself as an illustrator and an artist. She did illustrations for "Sarie Marais" and "Die Huisgenoot" for many years, and there is a large collection of cuttings of the stories with their accompanying illustrations. She illustrated over sixty books in the course of 36 years and the collection contains many of her original drawings, especially for the series of "Afrikaanse Sprokies" by Pieter W Grobbelaar. Concurrent with her career as an artist/illustrator, Katrine Harries lectured at the Michaelis School of Fine Art from 1949 - 1977, on a part-time basis until 1950 and thereafter as a full-time lecturer. -----------------------------------Katrine Harries South African Artist, Graphics, Paintings 1914 1978Katrine Harries was born in Berlin, Germany 1914 1978
Art Education 1933 – 1938 Vereinigte Staatsschulen für Freie und Angewandte Kunst, Berlin.
Short Artist Biography Daughter of two artists; her father was killed in action on the Western Front two weeks before her birth. 1930 Katrine Harries was admitted to a preparatory art school in Berlin on recommendation of Max Pechstein. 1939 Katrine Harries left Nazi Germany with her mother to settle in South Africa; worked in Cape Town; war years difficult, but assisted by art critic Bernard Lewis to find work as an illustrator; worked on the magazines, "Sarie Marais" and "Die Huisgenoot"; illustrated the first of many books, among them : "Cape Country" – African Bookman 1946; "Stories van Rivierplaas" – Nasionale Pers 1955; "Traditional Cooking of the Cape Malays" – Balkema 1957; "Dwaalstories" – by Eugene Marais, 1959. Some work in oil during her earlier career, discontinued during 1940's. 1950 Katrine Harries appointed part-time lecturer in etching and lithography at Michaelis School, Cape Town; subsequently created the Department of Typography; fulltime lecturer from 1960. 1952 Won Cape Tercentenary Award for lithography. 1964 Katrine Harries received the South African Library Association's Hoogenhout Award for the best illustrated children's book; three times thereafter, in 1969, 1974 and 1977; after the last award just prior to her death, the name of the Prize was changed to "The Katrine Harries Award". 1966 She illustrated the limited edition of "Raka" by Van Wyk Louw (lithographs). 1968 Her first color illustrations appeared in "Die Mooiste Afrikaanse Sprokies" by PW Grobbelaar, Human & Rousseay. Studio work included dry point, lithography and charcoal drawing; completed numerous portraits, not generally know about until after her death. 1973 Katrine Harries awarded the South African Akademie Medal of Honour for Graphic Art. 1977 Retired prematurely from Michaelis School, owing to illness. Died two months later. 1978 Subject of a monograph, "Katrine Harries" by J due P Scholz.
Art Exhibitions 1952 Van Riebeeck Tercent Art Exhibition, Cape Town. 1956 First Quad of South African Art (won prize for design of catalogue cover). 1957 Soa Paulo Bien (graphic); Contemporary Colour Lithograph, Cincinnati, United States of America. 1960 Second Quad of South African Art; South African Graphic Art Exhibition in Yugoslavia. 1964 Venice Bienalle (graphic). 1966 Republic Fest Exhibition, Pretoria. 1971 Republic Fest Exhibition. 1979 Retrospectove Art Exhibition, South African National Art Gallery, Pretoria Art Museum, Johannesburg Art Gallery; "South African Printmakers", South African National Art Gallery.
Public Art collectionsSouth African National Art Gallery, Cape Town; Durban Art Gallery; William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley; Hester Rupert Museum, GR; UNISA; Johannesburg Art Gallery; Ann Bryant Art Gallery, East London; Pretoria Art Museum; Sandton Munic Collec.