Andrew MURRAY

 

1917 – 1998

Paintings and etchings - Naïve art

 


 

Andrew (James Jowett) MURRAY in his Cape Town studio 1966

Andrew (James Jowett) MURRAY in his Cape Town studio, 1966, finishing "A cricket match at Newlands" shown at Gallery 101 Johannesburg in 1966

 


 

Brief C.V.

 

Andrew James Jowett MURRAY was born on 14th January, 1917 in Tientsin, China, the son of a missionary; he took a M.A. at Oxford; when WW2 broke out, he joined the Royal Navy (1940-1945). In 1946, he came to South Africa from Britain, married Beryl Halsall in Durban; moved to Cape Town in 1950 and was news editor of Cape Town's Catholic weekly The Southern Cross for a number of years. In 1956 he started painting, considering himself to be self-taught; from 1966 to 1970, he operated a Gallery in Cape Town (The Dorp Street Studio); by 1969 he became full-time painter. In 1970 he moved to London; until 1973 he painted in London, Seville, Paris, Perugia and Nice. He showed at various times at the Portal Gallery, which was then at 16A Grafton St., London WC1.

He died in London on 11th October, 1998 (see fuller C.V. and obituary in The Independent, London)

 


 

Selected Solo Exhibitions in South Africa

 

1963 Henry Lidchi Art Gallery, Cape Town – 17th to 31st December, 1963 (“The happy world of Andrew Murray as depicted in 40 paintings”) (opened by May Hillhouse)

1965 Gallery Shear, Cape Town

1965 Grosvenor House, Stellenbosch Museum, Stellenbosch

1966 Gallery 101, Johannesburg – 26th September to 7th October, 1966 (opened by Desmond McLoughlin)

1968 Dorp Street Studios, Cape Town – June, 1968 (5th solo show)

1974 Die Kunskamer, Cape Town – 30th July, 1974 (opened by Prof. Martin Versveld)

2007 SA National Gallery, Cape Town (Works by Andrew Murray, presented by Desmond McLoughlin) (January – December)

 


 

Selected works in Public Collections in South Africa and abroad

 

SA National Gallery, Cape Town

William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley

 

Hester Rupert Museum, Graaff-Reinet

Rembrandt Art Foundation, Stellenbosch

 

MIDAN Musée International d’Art Naïf, Vicq / Paris

Andrew MURRAY « L’embarquement » undated - oil/canvas - 65x50 cm - Coll. MIDAN Musée International d’Art Naïf, Vicq

« L’embarquement » undated - oil/canvas - 65x50 cm - Coll. MIDAN Musée International d’Art Naïf, Vicq nr. Paris

 


 

Selected Paintings

 

The solo show at Gallery 101, Johannesburg, in 1966 included the following work:

Andrew MURRAY "Op die Plaas" exhibited at Gallery 101 Johannesburg 1966

“Op die Plaas”

 

In 1975, Madame Haenggi Gallery, Hollard Street, Johannesburg, kept works by Andrew Murray in stock, including the following work:

Andrew MURRAY "Musician", 1975

"Musician", 1975 (one of the few dated paintings)

 


 

Andrew MURRAY 263

Two paintings (nos. 263 and 264) offered by Julian Simon Fine Art, London, in 2009

Andrew MURRAY 264

 


 

Andrew MURRAY "The painter"

"The Painter"

 


 

Selected works on auction

 

Andrew MURRAY "Eve in the Garden of Eden"  oil/board - 40x47 cm - Strauss & Co 26th September 2011  Lot 194

"Eve in the Garden of Eden"  oil/board - 40x47 cm - Strauss & Co. - 26th September, 2011 - Lot 194

Andrew MURRAY "The Annunciation" oil/board - 33x46.5 cm - Stephan Welz & Co., Cape Town - 1st October, 2013 - Lot 140

"The Annunciation" oil/board - 33x46.5 cm - Stephan Welz & Co., Cape Town - 1st October, 2013 - Lot 140

Andrew MURRAY "Garden Cat" - acrylic on board - 41x31.5 cm - Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - 8th February, 2016 - Lot 125

"Garden Cat" - acrylic on board - 41x31.5 cm - Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - 8th February, 2016 - Lot 125

 


 

Selected Publications

 

ARTLOOK 12, Johannesburg, November, 1967, p. 14, ill.

Andrew MURRAY in ARTLOOK 12, Johannesburg, November, 1967, p. 14, ill.

 

ARTLOOK 19, Johannesburg, June, 1968, p. 15, ill.

Andrew MURRAY in ARTLOOK 19, Johannesburg, June, 1968, p. 15, ill.

Please click on image for a better view! (PDF)

 

"S.A. Kuns / S.A. Art" ("Twentieth Century South African Art") (Human & Rousseau, 1966) (Bokhorst/Martienssen), ill. 78, p. 105

"Art & Artists of South Africa" (Berman) (Balkema), 1983, pp.108, 293, 450, ill. pp.292 + 450 - ISBN 0 86961 144 5

"The Dictionary of South African Painters and Sculptors including Namibia" (Ogilvie) (Everard Read), 1988, p.469 - ISBN 0 620 12663 9

 


 

Selected Press comments in South Africa

 

News/Check, Johannesburg – 13th March, 1964, p. 37 (“The Red House”, ill)

Financial Gazette, Johannesburg – 7th October, 1966

 


 

Short-lived Gallery activities in Cape Town between 1966 and 1970

 

 Andrew Murray’s short-lived Dorp Street Studio Gallery in Cape Town (slide taken in October, 1970: ©THF archives)

 Andrew Murray’s short-lived Gallery in Cape Town (slide taken in October, 1970: ©THF archives)

 


Uploaded on 10th February, 2016

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