Lot 43 Geraldine Robarts
Geraldine Robarts (Kenyan, born 1939)
Still Life in Studio, 1958
Signed ‘Plaut’ (verso)
Oil on board
59 x 56 cm
Ksh 175,000-300,000
(US$ 1,630-2,800)
Sold Ksh 187,840
Provenance: direct from the artist
Geraldine Robarts was born in London but spent her childhood in South Africa where she completed her degree in Fine Art at the University of Witwatersrand. In 1963 she moved to Kampala where she spent nine years. During this time, alongside her own practice, she was a lecturer in Fine Art at Makerere University where she taught alongside Michael Adams and Professor Ali Darwish. Along with many artists, Robarts and her family left Kampala under Idi Amin’s regime and moved to Nairobi, where she took citizenship.
This very early painting is from the life drawing classes Robarts took during her studies at Witwatersrand, where she drew and painted the same model, Mrs Dodds, 4 days a week for 2 years.
Robarts has exhibited worldwide, including in Kenya, China, Canada, Germany, South Africa and the USA. Her work is included in both institutional and private collections.