J.E. STAPLEY

1934 – 1986

Watercolours, drawings + mountaineering

John E Stapley in 1979 (sketched by Richard Cheales) (img.The Citizen Johannesburg 30th July, 1979)

Brief C.V.

Born 1934 as John Edward STAPLEY in Johannesburg, he studied at the Witwatersrand Technical Art School. Whilst living in London, he studied further at Hammersmith and Putney Art Schools.

During the 1970s he was owner of a graphic art reproduction business in Johannesburg. Divorced from his wife Romey, he last lived in Galway Road, Parkview, Johannesburg.

John Edward Stapley (img.© MCSA archives)

John Stapley was a keen and experienced mountaineer, climbing in various parts of the world. On 11^th January, 1986, he was last seen in the Drakensberg area where his brother Gerald was farming.

Selected Solo shows

1969 Gallery 101, Rand Central, Johannesburg (29^th September)

1971 Gallery 101, Rand Central, Johannesburg (13^th July)

1972 Gallery 101, Rand Central, Johannesburg (4^th to 15^th December) (20 watercolours)

1974 Madame Haenggi Gallery, Hollard Street, Johannesburg (August)

1977 Gallery 21, Fox Street, Johannesburg (22^nd November to 5^th December) (26 watercolours) (opened by Dr Renate Westphal)

Please click on composite image for details!

1979 Gallery 21, Fox Street (31^st July) (“Nepal and other impressions”) (cat.)

1982 Crake Gallery, Norwood, Johannesburg (15^th to 28^th March) (watercolours)

1983 Transvaal Museum Foyer, Pretoria (15^th March to 15^th April) (“watercolours about Animals and the environment”)

Selected Collections

The Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection, Johannesburg

"The start of Superblock", 1980 watercolour 76x56 cm (img © The Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection)

Selected Publications

ARTLOOK 34 Johannesburg – September, 1969, p. 37, ill.

ARTLOOK 47 Johannesburg – October 1970, p. 48, ill.

“Art and Artists of South Africa” (Berman) (Balkema) 1983, listed p. 488, 543

"The Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection" (Crump) (Standard Bank Centre Art Gallery), 1990 - listed p. 117 - ISBN 0-620-14614-1

Selected Press reviews

The Star, Johannesburg – 26^th November, 1977

The Citizen, Johannesburg – 3^rd December, 1977 (“one of the rare few”)

Rand Daily Mail, Johannesburg – 1^st December, 1977 (“economy and excitement”)

The Citizen, Johannesburg – 30^th July, 1977 (“a lost horizon in Nepal”), ill.

Beeld, Johannesburg – 4^th August, 1979 (‘n liriese stemming en bruisende lewensdrif”)

The Citizen, Johannesburg – 7^th August, 1979 (“Stapley’s unique niche”)

The Star, Johannesburg – 8^th August, 1979

Selected news reports about his last days in the Drakensberg

Star, Johannesburg – 22^nd January, 1986 (“Missing Berg hiker ‘dead or imprisoned’”)

Beeld, Johannesburg - 23^rd January, 1986 (“Twee weke in berg vermis”)

Star, Johannesburg – 23^rd January, 1986 (“Berg hiker still missing”), ill.

Citizen, Johannesburg – 24^th January, 1986 (“Berg search for missing artist goes on”)

Citizen, Johannesburg – 25^th January, 1986 (“Stapley’s friends keep up search”)

An obituary is recorded in the Index MCSA Journals 1979-1989, vols. 82-94, published by the Mountain Club of South Africa - 89: 147, 1986 (info provided by the MCSA)

Uploaded 5th March, 2013

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