Leonard Matsoso

Leonard Tshehla Mohapi Matsoso (b. 1949, Pimville, Johannesburg) is a South African Postwar & Contemporary artist renowned for his explorations of African myth, history, and identity. His work often depicts hybrid figures; half human, half beast, reflecting psychological tension, cultural memory, and elemental African forces. Matsoso studied at the Jubilee Art Centre (1962–1969) under influential artists such as Cecil Skotnes, Sydney Kumalo, Bill Hart, and Ezrom Legae, and later with Bill Ainslie in Johannesburg (1972).

From the early 1970s, Matsoso gained recognition in South Africa and internationally, participating in group shows in the United States and being selected for the Venice Biennale (1972) and the São Paulo Bienal (1973), where he won the Special Award for Drawing. His early black-and-white conte works, including The Agony and the Beast (1973) and Figure (1973), highlight fantastical figures drawn from African tribal history and mythology, executed with meticulous cross-hatching and stippling to evoke tactile, sculptural forms. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Matsoso’s practice expanded to monumental depictions of historical and heroic figures, combining African traditions and post-colonial identity with vivid color and geometric plasticity.

Matsoso’s work is represented in major South African collections, including the Constitutional Court Art Collection (CCAC). His contributions to the CCAC engage with the Court’s mandate to preserve memory, justice, and democracy, offering visual narratives that reflect South Africa’s social and political histories. Through his art, Matsoso continues to assert the enduring relevance of cultural heritage and collective memory within contemporary discourse.

References

• Berman, E. (1983). Art and Artists of South Africa. Cape Town: David Philip.

• Gurney, K. (2000). Postwar and Contemporary South African Art. Johannesburg: Goodman Gallery Publications.

• Skotnes, C. (1990). African Myth and Modern Expression. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press.

• Wylleman, P. (1975). South African Contemporary Artists. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik.

• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum. Exhibition Catalogues and Artist Files. Port Elizabeth: NMMAM Archives.