WOPKO JENSMA
1939 - 1993
paintings, graphics, writings
Wopko Jensma in 1973
Short C.V.
Wopko Pieter JENSMA was born 26th July, 1939, Ventersdorp in the Transvaal.
Matriculated at Middelburg Hoërskool, enrolled for study at the Universities of Pretoria in 1960 (BA Fine Arts (1964, incomplete) and attended University of Potchefstroom (1965-1967); translator for APB Publishers, Johannesburg (1965-1967); 1967 taught at a school in Serowe, Botswana, later became Head of Graphics Section of Department of Information, Gaborone.
Wrote poetry in English and Afrikaans; published anthology "Sing for our execution" in 1973
Taught art at the Open School, Johannesburg, during the 1980s
Disappeared without trace after August, 1993
This website is dedicated to Wopko Jensma's graphics and paintings - his achievements in literature are well documented elsewhere!
To view full CV, click on this link!
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Lidchi Gallery, Johannesburg - 24th February, 1969
SA Association of Arts, Pretoria - 16th March, 1970 (graphics) (opened by Prof. Ridley Beeton)
Gallery 101, Johannesburg - 26th April, 1971 (woodcuts)
Wopko JENSMA cover of invitation card from Gallery 101 Johannesburg from 26th April, 1971
SA Association of Arts, Pretoria (Upper Gallery) - 24th April to 5th May, 1974 (jointly with Casper Schmidt)
SA Association of Arts - Southern Transvaal Branch - Carlton Centre, Johannesburg - 24th September, 1973 (graphics jointly with Harald P.H. Michel)
Gallerie Metroplex, Johannesburg - 4th July to 4th August, 1996 (from a private collection)
click on image for better view!
Gallery Y (Wolf Weinek), Hillbrow and Kensington, Johannesburg - at various times and venues
Wolf Weinek - Walter Saunders - Wopko Jensma - opening at Gallery Y - image© from Facebook
Included in Selected Group Exhibitions
Lidchi Gallery, Johannesburg (paintings and graphics) (November, 1968) (first showing in the Transvaal) (cat 31 - 40: painting, monotypes, woodcut)
Gallery 101, Hyde Park, Johannesburg - 29th August, 1970 (Group Show)
UNISA, Pretoria (Silkscreen Exhibition UNISA), 1970 (cat. 34)
Durban Art Gallery, Durban (Art South Africa) 1971
SA National Gallery, Cape Town ("SA Printmakers"), 1979 (monotype)
Museum of Modern Art, Oxford UK - "Art from South Africa" - touring the UK (one graphic only) - 17th June, 1990 to 27th July, 1991
Bird man - Male and Female - African Presence
Click on images to see further graphics!
Selected Paintings
Wopko Jensma "Nuts", 1976 mixed media (oil/sand/nuts) on board - 62.5x50cm - Coll. William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley, acq. Sept. 2010/4267 (left)
Wopko Jensma "Firebirds", 1977 - oil on canvas - 88x96cm (middle)
Wopko Jensma "Abstract composition", 1976 - mixed media painting - 36x29cm (right)
Click on images for better view!
Selected Bibliography and Press covering
ARTLOOK 26, Johannesburg, 1969 (January), p. 15, ill.
ARTLOOK 39, Johannesburg, 1970 (February), pp. 16/17, ill.
"The South African Art Market 1971/72" (Art Institute South Africa) (1972) (Berman), pp. 66, 80
"The future of craft in Botswana" (De Arte 12) (UNISA) 1972 (October), pp. 28-32; article by Wopko Jensma, ill.
SA Association of Arts, Pretoria - "Arts Calendar" April 1973 (with CV in Wopko's words)
"South African Graphic Art and its Techniques" (Human & Rousseau) (1974) (F.L. Alexander), p. 68, ill.
"Three Centuries of South African Art" (AD. Donker) (1982) (Fransen), p. 356
"Art & Artists of South Africa" (Balkema) (1983) (Berman), pp. 191, 197, 522
„The Dictionary of South African Painters and Sculptors including Namibia“ (Ogilvie / Graff) (Everard Read), 1988 – ISBN 0 620 12663 9 – listed on pp. 316/317
"Art from South Africa" (Museum of Modern Art, Oxford) (1990) - ISBN 0 905836 71 5 - pp. 49, 58 (ill.)
"Printmaking in a transforming South Africa" (David Philip Publ.) (1997) (Hobbs/Rankin), p. 131
"Contemporary South African Art - The Gencor Collection" (Jonathan Ball Publ.) (1997) (Geers), p. 15, 72/73, ill.
Selected Public Collections
SA National Gallery, Cape Town (1 woodcut, 1 monotype)
Durban Art Gallery, Durban (2 woodcuts)
Click on image to see all graphics and more details!
Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria (1 silkscreen)
William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley (1 painting, 2 woodcuts, 1 silkscreen)
Wits Art Museum, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (1 monoprint, 2 silkscreens, 1 etching)
Selected Corporate Collections
Gencor, Johannesburg
SANLAM, Bellville
Wopko Jensma "Untitled", 1974 - silkscreen ed. 55 - 63x53 cm (Coll. SANLAM)
Works sold on selected auctions
Sotheby's/Welz, Johannesburg - 12th May, 2003 - Lot 405
Sotheby's/Welz, Johannesburg - 21st October, 2003 - Lot 757
Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - August, 2005 - Lot 85
Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - October, 2005
Sotheby's /Welz, Johannesburg - 31st July, 2006 - Lot 301
Wopko Jensma "Die swaart gevaar", 1971 - watercolour - 37.5x54cm
Sotheby's/Welz, Johannesburg - 16th April, 2007 - Lot 392
Sotheby's / Welz, Johannesburg - 30th July, 2007 - Lots 209, 210
Sotheby's / Welz, Johannesburg - 20th November, 2007 - Lot 475
Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - 3rd November, 2008 - Lot 470
Wopko Jensma "Face & forms", 1975 - colour woodcut - ed. 75 - 64x41.5cm
Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - 20th July, 2009 - Lot 709
Strauss Fine Arts, Johannesburg - 7th September, 2009 - Lots 58, 59
Bernardi Auctioneers, Pretoria - 9th November, 2009 - Lot 633
Westgate Auctioneers, Johannesburg - 26th January, 2010 - Lot 238
Strauss Fine Arts, Johannesburg - 24th May, 2010 - Lot 127
Strauss & Co., Johannesburg - 7th November, 2011 - Lot 175
Personal Papers in our archives
Letter dated 14th May, 1980 sent from Johannesburg
Part of letter dated 12th February, 1976, sent from Durban
Selected Web and other references about Wopko Jensma
Time to Talk: Literary Magazines in the Pretoria/Johannesburg Region 1956 to 1978 (Michael Gardiner)
"Revolution in a shopping mall" (Weekly Mail & Guardian), 19th July, 1996
"Struggle-poësie: Wopko Jensma" (Helga Buys) - in Afrikaans
SAHO, Johannesburg - brief review
"Looking for Wopko Jensma" by Michael Gardiner, ZA@Play Poetry, Johannesburg - 13th March, 2000
"An encounter with Wopko Jensma" - Kaganof's Kagablog - 12th October, 2007
"'n Nuwe soort Mens" by Danie Marais, Volksblad Nuus, Bloemfontein, 10th December, 2010, ill.
"Wopko Jensma and the .. censors" - Kaganof's Kagablog - 12th June, 2011, ill.
http://www.graphicclub.co.za/products-page/wopko-jensma/
"What happened to Wopko Jensma" - AOP Johannesburg 2013
©) (PDF) - ISBN 978-0-620-56352-9
Reminiscences by Warren Siebrits
Wopko Jensma: Sing For My Execution (1973), Where White is the Colour, Where Black is the Number (1974), and I must Show You My Clippings (1977):
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After leaving Chalkham Hill Press in 1995, and with almost no money at my disposal, I hired a small shop window in Rosebank where I opened my first gallery, Galerie Metroplex, in July 1996. The very first exhibition was dedicated to the writings and prints of Wopko Jensma. This exhibition and the opening of this gallery were inspired directly by his three books of poetry. In my opinion they rank as the finest examples of South African poetry, juxtaposed with sublime and striking images made by the artist. His writings and work continue to influence my thinking, and in March 2005 we published our 14th exhibition catalogue titled South African Literary Magazines 1956-1978, where Jensma's influence and contribution as artist and poet permeated 12 of the 15 magazines featured on the exhibition.
Updated 6th July, 2015
