Karel Nel,
South African b.1955-
 
Song of the Voyage- Oceania 1995/ 1996;
 

Karel Nel,
South African b.1955-

Song of the Voyage- Oceania 1995/ 1996;

pastel and pigment on tapa, signed and dated 95/96 lower left, 108 x 302cm

Provenance: Art First Contemporary Art, London; Private collection, London

Exhibited: Art First Contemporary Art, , London, November 2003- January 2004

Note: Karel Nel studied at Saint Martins School of Art, London and the University of California, Berkeley (on a Fulbright Scholarship from 1988 1989). Nel was an Associate Professor at the Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, where he he left three years ago , taking up his post as Senior Curator of the Norval Foundation in Cape Town. In this position he has presented some of the most critical exhibitions, filling the astonishing gaps in South African art history, most recently with his exhibition of the sculptures of William Kentridge - the first ever exhibition of this widely exhibited artist.

Nel is a respected collector of African, Asian and Oceanic art with a particular interest in currencies. He is considered an expert in southern African art and advises and consults museums in South Africa, New York, London and Paris. He has also been part of various curatorial teams for major international exhibitions on early Zulu, Tsonga and Shangaan art and has contributed to numerous publications on this material. Over many years Nel has been interested in the interface between art and science, and his investigations have led to his inclusion in the COSMOS project, as artist- in-residence, involving more than a hundred scientists around the world charged with mapping a two-degree square area of the sky.

The artist has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this this work.