Bruce Arnott
Bruce Arnott (15 September 1938 – July 19, 2018) was a South African sculptor, curator, educator and academic. He was a professor of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town's Michaelis School of Fine Art. • Illustration — 'Numinous Beast', a 1979 sculpture by Arnott, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
Bruce Arnott

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- Name
- Bruce Murray Arnott
- Born
- 15 September 1938
- Birthplace
- KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Died
- 19 July 2018
- Place of death
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Known for
- Sculptor, artist, curator, educator
- Education
- University of Cape Town
- Occupation
- Sculptor, academic
- Spouse
- Mari Lecanides-Arnott
- Nationality
- South Africa
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Bruce Arnott (15 September 1938 – July 19, 2018) was a South African sculptor, curator, educator and academic. He was a professor of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town's Michaelis School of Fine Art. • Illustration — 'Numinous Beast', a 1979 sculpture by Arnott, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town.
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Bruce Arnott (1938–2018) was a painter, sculptor and university teacher, of South African nationality. The painter was born in KwaZulu-Natal and died in Cape Town.
Bruce Arnott was educated at Michaelis School of Fine Art and University of Cape Town. The painter worked for Michaelis School of Fine Art, South African National Gallery and University of Cape Town.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Bruce Murray Arnott • Born — 15 September 1938 • Birthplace — KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa • Died — 19 July 2018 • Place of death — Cape Town, South Africa • Known for — Sculptor, artist, curator, educator • Education — University of Cape Town • Employer — University of Cape Town • Occupation — Sculptor, academic • Title — Professor Emeritus of Fine Art • Spouse — Mari Lecanides-Arnott • Children — 2 sons, 1 daughter
Early life
Early life
Arnott was born on 15 September 1938 in KwaZulu-Natal. He graduated from the University of Cape Town, where he earned a bachelor's degree followed by a master's degree in Fine Arts.
Career
Career
Arnott was a prolific South African sculptor, predominantly making bronze sculptures. He also used "lead, resin, fibreglass, stone and wood." Arnott's sculptures are represented in corporate collections across South Africa and in public art museums throughout the country, including the Iziko South African National Gallery (Cape Town), the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the Durban Art Gallery, the Pretoria Art Museum, the Tatham in Pietermaritzburg and in the collections of NAPAC (Durban) and PACOFS (Bloemfontein). His work is also to be found on the campuses of the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, and the University of the Witwatersrand, as well as in the collections of the 1820 Foundation (Grahamstown), the Rembrandt (Stuyvesant) Foundation (Stellenbosch), the Oppenheimer Foundation (Brenthurst Library, Johannesburg). Arnott worked at the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, appointed as the museum's first professional education officer before and serving as its assistant director from 1970 to 1972. He was a professor of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town's Michaelis School of Fine Art from 1978 to 2003, and he served as its director at one point.
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
Arnott was married to Mari Lecanides-Arnott, with whom he had a son. He had a son and a daughter from his previous marriages. Arnott died on July 19, 2018.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
KwaZulu-Natal.
Birth place
Cape Town.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Gurney, Kim. Bruce Arnott: 1938–2018. Campus Communications. University of Cape Town.
- 2.University of Cape Town. Bruce Arnott. Michaelis School of Fine Arts.
- 3.Stanley, Janet L. The Arts of Africa: An Annotated Bibliography. African Studies Association. 6. 173. 1992. 499122327.
- 4.Rankin, Elizabeth. Images of Metal: Post-War Sculptures and Assemblages in South Africa. Witwatersrand University Press. 10–11. 1994. 9781868142576.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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