Ex Libris Natalie Knight.
Published by Wits University Press, 1990
First Edition (Hard Cover)
Signed by William Kentridge (b. 28 April 1955)

William Kentridge is one of the world's leading contemporary artists. His work spans charcoal drawings, prints, sculpture, opera and tapestry.

30.5cm x 23cm

R3,500

This volume is Hogarth in Johannesburg, published in 1990 by Witwatersrand University Press with introduction and commentary by art historian Michael Godby.

It documents one of the most famous collaborative printmaking projects in modern South African art history, undertaken between 1986 and 1987 by three monumental South African artists: Robert Hodgins, Deborah Bell, and William Kentridge.

1. Re-imagining 18th-Century Satire in Late-Apartheid South Africa

Between 1986 and 1987, during the height of the State of Emergency in South Africa, Hodgins, Bell, and Kentridge collaborated on a series of print suites directly inspired by the moralizing, satirical copperplate engravings of British master William Hogarth (1697–1764).

The three artists used Hogarth’s narrative structures to critique the moral corruption, hypocrisy, greed, and social fractures of late-apartheid Johannesburg:

• Robert Hodgins adapted A Rake's Progress.

• Deborah Bell adapted Marriage-à-la-Mode.

• William Kentridge adapted Industry and Idleness.

2. The Birth of a Legendary Artistic Trio

This project formalized a deep, long-standing creative alliance among Hodgins, Bell, and Kentridge. Following Hogarth in Johannesburg, the trio went on to produce several major collaborative portfolio series—most notably the Ubu Royalty series (Ubu Tells the Truth) in 1996–1997—which responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

3. A Turning Point for William Kentridge

The Industry & Idleness suite created for this project marked a critical moment in William Kentridge's early career. The series introduced key motifs—such as corporate greed, political indifference, and the stark industrial landscapes of Johannesburg—that directly evolved into his groundbreaking animated charcoal films (9 Drawings for Projection), featuring his iconic characters Soho Eckstein and Felix Teitlebaum.

4. Master Printmaking at Caversham Press

The original etchings and engravings reproduced in the book were printed at the Caversham Press in KwaZulu-Natal under master printmaker Malcolm Christian. Caversham served as a vital sanctuary and collaborative hub where Black and white South African artists produced politically engaged graphic art throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.

5. Signature Modernist Dust Jacket

The dust jacket is highly distinctive, featuring reproductions of the three artists' signatures alongside grey-toned background details from Hogarth's original 18th-century crowd scenes. Copies signed by all three artists (or featuring Hodgins' signature before his passing in 2010) are especially sought after in Africana and modern art collections.