Desmond GREIG - DAG
ceramics, sculptures and paintings
Barbara GREIG
Barbara Greig in 1966, with one of her ceramic murals
Brief C.V.
Born in Cape Town in 1920, studied at the School of Art, York, England, lived since 1962 in Johannesburg, previously in Pretoria and Port Elizabeth, started as a ceramic artist in 1953. Barbara Greig died in Outshoorn on 2nd November, 2004.
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Selected list of exhibitions
1960 included in Second Quadrennial of SA Art touring exhibition
1961 Gallery 101, Johannesburg (4th June) - murals in ceramic (opened by Arthur Goldreich)
1961 Washington DC USA (included in SA entry to International Ceramics Exhibition)
1964 SA Association of Arts, Pretoria (July)
1964 included in Third Quadrennial of SA Art touring exhibition
1965 Included in London exhibition by 10 SA artists (Lipkin, Dziomba, Greig, Ormiston and others)
1966 included in Republic Festival Exhibition, Pretoria
1966 Gallery 101, Johannesburg (4th June) - with DAG (opened by George Boys)
1968 Gallery 101, Johannesburg (18th November)
1977 Collectors Gallery, Johannesburg (27th April) - with DAG
"International Ceramics 1972" (Victoria & Albert Museum, London) June/July 1972, included in the South African entry with 2 works
Participated in group exhibition in Barcelona, Spain - Tom Maddock Gallery - 30th Nov. 1978
1981 SA Association of Arts, Pretoria (23rd March) - with Desmond Greig
1983 Goodman Gallery, Sandton (11th June) - with Desmond Greig
19xx Goodman Gallery, Sandton (3rd November)
19xx The Old Stable, Johannesburg (1st October) (Sculpture in 4 media) - with Desmond Greig
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Murals, other works and commissions
3 murals from the mid 60s - click here - PDF 267 KB
500 sq.ft ceramic relief mural for a hotel in Cape Town (The Star, Johannesburg - 24.5.1968) - PDF 281 KB
Ceramic panel from 1983 - reproduced on exhibition card Goodman Gallery 1983
9' x 22' mural for the Oceanarium, Port Elizabeth - 1960
St. Patrick's Cathedral of the Resurrection, Kroonstad (9' panel behind altar - "Pentacost")
Jan Smuts Airport ("Growth forms", 1970), Johannesburg
Maize Board, Pretoria
Warmbaths Spa - President Hotel, Cape Town
Holiday Inn, Durban
Elangeni Hotel, Durban
Barbara Greig ceramic mural at Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban
Commission for the Maize Board, Pretoria
Mural and sculptures in concrete done by Barbara GREIG for their home in Melville, Johannesburg
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Museum Collections
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria
"Sonhek" ("Sungate"), 1980 - bronze (lost wax method) - 2 panels each 75x79 cm
The Hester Rupert Art Museum, Graaff-Reinet
"Knight chessboard figure", 1965 - ceramic panel (Coll. The Hester Rupert Art Museum, Graaff-Reinet)
click on ©images for larger view!
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Works on auctions
Bonham's Knightsbridge London - Sale 18962 - 25th October, 2011 - Lot 178
Sheffield Auction House, Sheffield UK - 15th April, 2011 - Lot 172
Listed in following publications
South African Artists 1900-1962 (Jeppe) (Afrikaanse Pers Boekhandel), 1963, p. 158
"Twentieth Century South African Art" (Human & Rousseau) 1966, cat. 96, p. 126, ill.
"Century of South African Art 1869-1969" (Eljra Solomon), 1969 Lions International Johannesburg, cat. 23, ill.
"International Ceramics 1972" (Victoria & Albert Museum, London) exhibition cat. 4+5, p. 77, ill.
South African Art (James Ambrose Brown) (Macdonald SA), 1978, p. 34
Looking at South African Art (Harmsen) (van Schaik), 1985, p. 153, ill.
„The Dictionary of South African Painters and Sculptors including Namibia“ (Ogilvie / Graff) (Everard Read), 1988 – ISBN 0 620 12663 9 – listed on p. 261/262
Art & Artists of South Africa (Berman) (Southern Book Publ.), 1994, p. 40, ill.
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Some press coverage
1961 SA Art News, Johannesburg (22nd June), p. 9, review + ill.
1961 SA Art News, Johannesburg (22nd June), p. 11, review + ill.
1961 SA Art News, Johannesburg (6th July), p. 6, review
1964 The Star, Johannesburg (2nd July), ill.
1965 The Star, Johannesburg (18th March), article + ill.
1966 The Star, Johannesburg (26th May), articles + ill.
1966 Die Transvaler, Johannesburg (7th June), article + ill.
1966 The Star, Johannesburg (11th June), article + ill.
1966 Sunday Times, Johannesburg (12th June), ill.
1966 Die Transvaler, Johannesburg (13th June), review
1966 Rand Daily Mail, Johannesburg (7th June), review
1966 ARTLOOK 1, Johannesburg (November), p. 20 ill.
1967 ARTLOOK 11, Johannesburg (October), p. 18, article + ill.
1968 ARTLOOK 19, Johannesburg (June), pp. 8+9, article + ill.
1968 The Star, Johannesburg (21st November), review + ill.
1968 Die Vaderland, Johannesburg (26th November), review
Desmond Greig (a.k.a. DAG) - in 1966, with one of his ceramic bird sculptures
Brief C.V.
Born 1926, Cape Town, studied arts degree University of Stellenbosch, worked on most newspapers in South Africa. Former Arts Editor and later art critic for the Star, Johannesburg (alias Peter Peer) during mid-60s; one time publisher and editor of ARTLOOK, Johannesburg (SA's first arts monthly) and editor of several magazines; sculptor, painter, published poet and author of a number of books including novels (The Country House) and collection of short stories (The Angels Upstairs), published by Macmillan UK and Viking USA (one won the Sanlam Youth Literature Award).
Desmond GREIG carrying one of his bronzes
Operated own studio foundry in Johannesburg for casting by the lost wax investment method, in bronze and aluminium.
Barbara and Desmond Greig at work at their studio foundry in Melville, Johannesburg - click on image or this link for further pictures!
Desmond Greig passed away in Outshoorn in October, 2006.
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Selected list of exhibitions
1964 Gallery 101, Johannesburg (9th August) - with Harald Pager (photographs) (opened by Adam Leslie)
1966 Gallery 101, Johannesburg (4th June) - with Barbara Greig (opened by George Boys)
1977 Collectors Gallery, Johannesburg (27th April) - with Barbara Greig
Participated in group exhibition in Barcelona, Spain - Tom Maddock Gallery - 30th Nov. 1978
1981 SA Association of Arts, Pretoria (23rd March) - with Barbara Greig
1983 Goodman Gallery, Sandton (11th June) - with Barbara Greig
1987 Melville Place Art Gallery, Johannesburg (4th October) - with daughter Delia Greig
19xx The Old Stable, Johannesburg (1st October) (Sculpture in 4 media) - with Barbara Greig
1989 Natalie Knight Gallery, Sandton (August)
1994 The Optimist Gallery, Johannesburg (20th November)
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Museum Collections
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria
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Listed in following publications
„The Dictionary of South African Painters and Sculptors including Namibia“ (Ogilvie / Graff) (Everard Read), 1988 – ISBN 0 620 12663 9 – listed on p. 262
Art & Artists of South Africa (Berman) (Southern Book Publ.), 1994, p. 45
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Press comments
The Star, Johannesburg - 11th August, 1964 - article + ill.
The Star, Johannesburg - 11th August, 1964 - article + ill.
News/Check, Johannesburg - 14th August, 1964 - article
DE ARTE (UNISA) - Pilot Edition - 2nd half 1965 - review by Esmé Berman
The Star, Johannesburg - 6th August, 1966 - article + ill.
The Star, Johannesburg - 11th August, 1966, review by Cecily Sash
The Star, Johannesburg - 6th June, 1966 - review
The Star, Johannesburg, 9th April, 1980, article + ill.
The Star, Johannesburg - 21st August, 1987 - review + ill.
The Star, Johannesburg - 8th October, 1987 - review + ill.
Style, Johannesburg - February, 1989 - ill.
Sunday Star, Johannesburg - 30th April, 1989 - ill.
Sunday Star, Johannesburg - 6th August, 1989 - ill.
The Star, Johannesburg - 8th August, 1989, review + ill.
Style, Johannesburg - March, 1990 - ill.
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Other links
www.pelmama.org - do an internal search for "Greig"!
If you have additional information or images on Barbara or Desmond GREIG, please let us know so that we can update this page!
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Last update of this page - 10th February, 2013