William “Bill” Ainslie (10 April 1934-1989) was a South African artist, teacher, activist, as well as the founder of several art projects.

Early life

Ainslie was born on 10 April 1934 in

Bedford, Eastern Cape Bedford or Nyarha is a rural town in the centre of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It was established in the mid-19th century when Sir Andries Stockenstroom sold portions of land from his farm Maastroom to raise funds for the restorati ...

, where his family farmed a parcel of land called Spring Grove”. His family moved to the

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...

when he was a young boy, but subsequently left for

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

because of a drought. His father died when he was eight years old. Ainslie had intended to become a priest, until art claimed his imagination when he was a student. He studied at the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

from 1952–1955. In 1958, he completed his honours degree in Fine Art. On completion of his studies he taught at Michael house, a school in

KwaZulu Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locat ...

. He also taught art at Cyrene Mission in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

and King Edward VII School in Johannesburg, his alma mater In 1960, Bill married Sophia Jansen-Schottell (known as Fieka). He died in a car accident in August 1989 returning from an international workshop at the Cyrene Mission in Zimbabwe.

Career

Ainslie's paintings transitioned from monumental African figures featuring mothers and children, and farm labourers to

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

. He was renowned for his use of striking and vibrant colours iredspace.wits.ac.za/jspui/bitstream/10539/18332/4/MAFA2015%20Insert.pdf Podbrey, J. “Bill Fights to Get Artistic Voices Heard” 1986. Sunday Express. Online. Accessed 28 August./ref> His painting found connections with American abstract expressionism and as a result, Ainslie tended to teach abstraction. His work has been exhibited at the

Goodman Gallery Goodman Gallery is an art gallery founded in Johannesburg, South Africa by Linda Givon (previously Goodman) in 1966. The gallery operates spaces in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and London. It represents both established and emerging artists who are re ...

, the

Johannesburg Art Gallery The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery in Joubert Park in the city centre of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the largest gallery on the continent with a collection that is larger than that of the Iziko South African National Gallery i ...

and the

National Gallery of Zimbabwe The National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) is a gallery in Harare, Zimbabwe, dedicated to the presentation and conservation of Zimbabwe's contemporary art and visual heritage. The original National Gallery of Rhodesia was designed and directed by ...

Legacy

Bill Ainslie founded the Johannesburg Art Foundation in 1982. He trained artists such as Helen Sebidi,

William Kentridge William Kentridge (born 28 April 1955) is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films, especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s. The latter are constructed by ...

Dumile Feni Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mslaba "Dumile" Feni (May 21, 1942 – 1991) was a South African contemporary visual artist known for both his drawings and paintings that included sculptural elements as well as sculptures, which often depicted the st ...

and

David Koloane David Nthubu Koloane (5 June 1938 – 30 June 2019) was a South African artist. In his drawings, paintings and collages he explored questions about political injustice and human rights. Koloane is considered to have been "an influential artist ...

. The studio was a non-profit organization began informally, operating from fellow artist Cecily Sash's home before Ainslie eventually, in 1977, bought a house that came to be the Johannesburg Art Foundation. Ainslie's art foundation maintained a teaching philosophy which opposed any form of discrimination and stressed that art education should be a possibility for everyone. The Johannesburg Art Foundation made a significant contribution to South African art and more particularly the progressive development of black South African artists. Ainslie helped start FUBA (the Federated Union of Black Artists), FUNDA (which means learn in

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

) and the Alexandra Arts Centre.2017. "William (Bill) Ainslie". Online. Accessed 3 September 2017.
/ref> In 1985, the year of South African State of Emergency, Ainslie formed the artist's residency, Thupelo Workshops, in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

with David Koloane and Kagiso Patrick Mautloa, supported by Triangle Network, FUBA, FUNDA and the Johannesburg Art Foundation. Between 1964 and 1988 he held several exhibitions and received three Art SA Today awards. On 29 August 1999, The Bill Ainslie Gallery was opened at the Johannesburg Art Foundation to coincide with the 10th anniversary of his death. The Foundation closed in 2001 due to a lack of support.1999. “The Bill Ainslie Gallery". Press Release. Online. Accessed 27 August 2017.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ainslie, Bill South African artists People from the Eastern Cape 1934 births 1989 deaths University of Natal alumni