Pieter van der Westhuizen
European (1931-2008)
Pieter Van Der Westhuizen was born in Pretoria, South Africa and studied at the University of South Africa under Sakkie Eloff, Leo Theron, Robert Hodgins, Alfred Krentz and Erik Laubscher. From 1979-1980 he attended the Nationale Hoger Institute voor Schone Kunst at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Belgium. Westhuizen is widely regarded as South Africa’s most popular artist.
In 1988-1989, Westhuizen was invited to exhibit with Marc Chagall, Yaacov Agam and Ben Avram in Madrid, Spain. His works can be found in private and national collections in South Africa, Britain, France, Belgium, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, China, Japan, Switzerland, Finland, Canada and Israel.
Westhuizen painted images that triggered his imagination, including those he saw in the people who surrounded him. A prime example of his work, “Twins” is a powerful and daring portrait of two women depicted by Westhuizen’s signature use of bright color and striking structure and composition.
