Norman Catherine
Norman Catherine (born September 1949 in East London, South Africa) is a South African artist whose body of work spans painting, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media. He collaborated closely with iconic South African artist Walter Battiss on the Fook Island concept from 1973. Artistic career began in 1969 with his first solo exhibition at the Herbert Evans Gallery in Johannesburg, which included oil paintings on wood, bone, wire and a variety of found objects.
Norman Catherine
- Name
- Norman Catherine
- Born
- 1949, September
- Birthplace
- East London, South Africa
- Occupation
- Artist
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Known for
- Back Chat II
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q15490329 · wikipedia · Norman Catherine
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Not stated by the sources cited: nationality
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Biography
Biography
Since then he has continued to create new work and develop his style. Hazel Friedman describes his development as follows "In the thirty years spanning his past and present output, Catherine’s visual trademarks have included rough-edged comical and nightmarish forms, rendered in brash cartoon colours. His idiosyncratic vision – a combination of dark cynicism and exuberant humour, as well as his innovative use of everyday material, has secured his place at the forefront of South African contemporary art" Hazel Friedman on Norman Catherine. He lives and works from his home, named Fook Manor, near the Hartbeespoort Dam outside of Pretoria.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Norman Catherine • Born — 1949, September • Birthplace — East London, South Africa • Citizenship — South Africa • Occupation — Artist • Years Active — 1969
Documentary record
Norman Catherine, recorded as an artist, painter, graphic artist and object artist, was born in 1949 in East London. The birth is recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Style and themes
Style and themes
Norman Catherine's work spans a variety of media including painting, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, tapestry and bronze. His work is characterised by a dystopian vision of the socio-political landscape that shapes his psyche. Themes such as history, horror, crime, conflict, psychosis, politics and pathology stimulate his creative process, which oscillates between the macabre and the comic. He conveys his cynical outlook by juxtaposing dark and light sentiments, moving between an inner hallucinatory realm and a literal commentary on the material world. His work is represented in public and private collections in South Africa and internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Brooklyn Museum in New York. In 1993, he was invited to exhibit for the South African Pavilion at the 45th Venice Biennale. In 2006, the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) presented a retrospective entitled 'Now & Then'.
Identity
Identity
Norman Catherine is recorded as artist, painter and printmaker.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1949
Norman Catherine born at East London.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Norman Catherine, revision 1340251589 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q15490329: Norman CatherineWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
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 16 August 2026.
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