It is with sadness that ArtThrob pays tribute to the passing of sculptor David Brown (64).
According to an article in Netwerk 24, Brown passed away on the afternoon of Friday 18 March while surfing at Muizenberg Beach.
David James Brown was born in Johannesburg in 1951, but has spent his working life in Cape Town. He studied design and photography at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, and was introduced to sculpture in 1975 by Cecil Skotnes.
His debut solo exhibition in 1981 was entitled ‘Dogs of War’ and was held at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg . The exhibition introduced the motif of the dog, which would run throughout his extensive body of work as a symbol of powerlessness and aggression. His post-apartheid work retained a dark sense of humour but also became more overtly playful as he continued to work primarily in metal and bronze; occasionally diverting to wood carving and photography.
In recent years, Brown focussed on large-scale commissioned works for collections in the United States, Europe and Southern Africa including the Milcetic Collection in New York and Henneton House in England. His work is also included in major public and private collections such as the IZIKO South African National Gallery in Cape Town; the Pretoria Art Museum and UNISA Art Collection; the Zeitz Collection in Kenya and the Zeitz MOCAA Collection in Cape Town.
His final exhibition was ‘Deadly Sinners’ at SMAC Gallery last November.
ArtThrob wish to extend our sincere condolences to Brown’s family.
