Thelma CHAIT

1918-2009

Drawings, graphics, paintings, book illustrator

Thelma Chait in 1967

Brief C.V.

Born 10th April, 1918, in Bloemfontein, grew up in Parow, studied architecture at University of Cape Town from 1935, gaining a BA in 1940, married Dr Jack Chait in 1942, further part-time art studies 1954-1957 at Michaelis School of Art, Cape Town; became best known for her pen and ink drawings; illustrated the book “Hello Up There” (Howard Timmins) (1968); emigrated in 1988, relocating from Clifton, Cape Town, to Seattle WA, U.S.A.

Selected Solo Shows

1957 SA Association of Arts, Cape Town

1960 SA Association of Arts, Cape Town

1963 Wolpe Gallery, Cape Town

1965 Gallery 101, Johannesburg (opened by Gerda Friedmann) (Drawings)

Please click on image to view invitation card!

1966 Wolpe Gallery, Cape Town (8th to 19th November)

1981 Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg (Prestige Exhibition)

Selected Group Shows

1960 Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg (“Artists of Fame & Promise”), cat. 16

1962 Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg (“Artists of Fame & Promise”), cat. 22

1963 Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg (“Artists of Fame & Promise”), cat. 16

1964 Adler Fielding Galleries, Johannesburg (“Artists of Fame & Promise”), cat. 26+27 (link)

1963 and 1964 Cape Salon

1965 Third Quadrennial of South African Art

1965 “S.A. Women Artists”, SA National Gallery, Cape Town (27^th April to 27^th May), cat 12+13

1966 Republic Festival Exhibition, Durban

1966 South African Breweries Art Prize 1966 touring exhibition: Cape Town/Pretoria/Johannesburg/Durban Sept. 1966 to January, 1967, cat. 27 (“King of the Darkness”, pen & ink)

1981 Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg (Solo Prestige Exhibition of Drawings)

Selected Public Collections

SA National Gallery, Cape Town

Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria

 Hester Rupert Art Museum, Graaff-Reinet

„Gothic Woman“, 1962 – pen & ink drawing – 78.5x55.5 cm (img.© HRAM Graaff-Reinet)

 Pietersburg Art Museum, Pietersburg/Polokwane

Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg

University of Cape Town, Cape Town

Selected Works

„Apparitions“, 1964 pen & ink

„Tea Party“, 1965

“Angel” silkscreen ed. 250 - Illustrated in ARTLOOK 2 December 1966

Illustrated in ARTLOOK 2 December 1966

“Time Space Machine”, 1968 Felt nib and ink – 63.5x44.5 cm

Selected References

“Contrast” South African Quarterly, Vol. 3 No. 3, March, 1965 (“Eight sketches”)

Hester Rupert Art Museum Souvenir Catalogue, July 1966, cat.14

Thelma Chait, 1966, illustrated in HRAM Souvenir catalogue

      « Twentieth Century South African Art » (Bokhorst) (Human & Rousseau), 1966 – p92 cat 65 ill      

ARTLOOK 2 Johannesburg – December, 1966, p. 17 - illustrated

ARTLOOK 29 Johannesburg – April 1969, p.28 („Flower-Power”- ill)

"The South African Art Market 1971/72" (Berman) (Art Institute South Africa), 1972, pp.63+77

“South African Graphic Art and its Techniques” (FL Alexander) (Human & Rousseau), 1974 – ill pp 49+203 – ISBN 0 7981 0329 9

“South African Art” (J.A. Brown) (Macdonald South Africa), 1978, listed p54 – ISBN 0 7967 0009 5

“Art & Artists of South Africa” (Berman) (Balkema) (1983), pp. 91, 92, 194, 515, 516, 519, 533; ill.p91+92 – ISBN 0 86961 144 5

“The Dictionary of South African Painters and Sculptors” (Ogilvie) (Read), 1988, p.117/118 – ISBN 0 620 12663 9

Seattle Times, Seattle WA, USA – 6^th/7^th September, 2009 (“Obituary”)

 Sunday Chronicle, Johannesburg – 9^th May, 1965 - ill.

Sunday Chronicle, Johannesburg – 16^th May, 1965 (“Fascinating”)

Uploaded 6th May, 2013

 Return to Home Page