Full Biography
Paul du Toit (1965 – 2014) was a contemporary artist based in Cape Town, South Africa, who at times maintained a studio in New York. His output included painting, sculpture, works on paper and mixed media. He was self-taught and became known for a style of painting that favoured black outlines and thick strokes in vibrant, primary colours. Before becoming an artist in the 1990s he was a computer programmer who applied his knowledge to build a website that gave his work a global reach long before he was nationally known.
Du Toit was much more than just an artist; he was an explorer, an adventurer, and an experimenter. He was also a collector who loved books and music. He was able to transfer the energy of the punk music that so inspired him into his passion for making art. The ethos of punk was the light that illuminated Du Toit’s path. It made him who he was: independent, non-conformist and someone who did things his way.
Paul created PlanetPaul, a phantasmic space way beyond our milky way, which he populated with colourful, playful and energetic comic strip-like shapes and figures.
At the age of eleven Paul contracted juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which kept him in and out of hospital for three years. He used this time of recuperation to learn how to draw and paint. He sculpted with the wax that was used in his treatment. His aunt brought him books on Miró and Picasso. These artists remained influential throughout his career, as did that experience of confinement, which is strongly referenced in his work. While at a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico in 2012/2013, Du Toit describes in his diary how a session of hydrotherapy ignited an idea for new works. Despite a weakening physical body, he could not wait to get back into his studio to continue making art. That same year he was awarded the prestigious Pollock-Krasner grant.
Ashraf Jamal wrote that Paul du Toit “seemed unencumbered by gravity”, and “celebrated the vim of life above all else”. It is an apt observation because Du Toit lived his life at a blast beat. He was also a very generous individual, who willingly gave his time to numerous charity events, nationally and internationally. He achieved a great deal in a short space of time; his archive is our proof.
– Credit Heidi Erdmann 2022 –
References:
Tsilik, P. (ed). 2006. Paul du Toit. Cape Town: PlanetPaul.
Jamal, A. (ed). 2016. Paul. Cape Town: PlanetPaul.
Zanzibar Series:
Zanzibar Series was strongly influenced by the artist’s trip to Zanzibar in 2002, where he stayed on the small island of Chapwani. Every morning and late afternoon, sailors with their ancient fishing vessels (dhows) would sail past the island to destinations in the Indian Ocean. The countless shapes of wind-filled sails and rigging were etched out against the beautiful surroundings. The way the sails were controlled fascinated him.
“I started drawing and reworking these images. I turned the shapes into abstract figures based on the human form. The idea of turning them into sculptures came later when I figured out that I could use iron rods to draw these shapes. The gaps are filled with a solid compound which creates a surreal three-dimensional form with certain primitive qualities. These forms provide endless viewpoints with inexhaustible and infinite possibilities.”
He strove to maintain a strong focus on the line by constructing a wire web of iron rods to form the skeleton of the sculptures. The rudimentary character of Zanzibari dhows was carried through in the crude joining of the limbs to the trunk of the figures. The sculptures were not machined in the finish, and welding solders were deliberately left exposed to create surface interest in the final bronze state.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022
Investec Cape Town Art Fair
2021
Modern Primitive, Tokara Wine Estate, Cape Winelands, South Africa
2013
Vertex of reality, 34 Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2012
A slice in time, Gallery MOMO, Johannesburg, South Africa
A slice in time, Sculpture exhibition, NIROX Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
Paul du Toit, Bushwick Open Studios, Williamsburg, New York City, NY, USA
Insight Out, 34 Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2011
(blanc, noir, bleu et rouge!), Alliance Francaise, Johannesburg, South Africa
Future Primeval, Franschhoek, South Africa
2010
Transformative Movements, Woodstock Studio, Cape Town, South Africa
Key Elements, Barnard Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
2009
Recent works by Paul du Toit at Rose Korber, Rose Korber, Cape Town, South Africa
Prehistoric idols 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2008
Generative markings: PlanetPaul in Apogee, Kyle Kauffman Gallery, New York City, NY, USA
Some Strange Alphabet, Graham’s Contemporary Fine Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Paul du Toit, Open Art Fair, Utrecht, Holland
2007
Paul du Toit, Winwood Art District, Miami, USA
Marking of thoughts, KEE Club, Hong Kong
Highly Charged, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2006
Residency at Dieu Donne Papermill, Creation of paper pulp paintings, Dieu Donné Papermill, New York City, NY, USA
Fighting with my weak hand, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Drawn to abstraction, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
2005
Off the wall, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
Residency at Dieu Donne Papermill, Creation of paper pulp paintings, Dieu Donné Papermill, New York City, NY, USA
2004
Visitors from PlanetPaul, Galerie Plett, Zeist, Holland
PlanetPaul, New York City, NY, USA
2002
Paul du Toit, PaKua Gallery, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
2001
Paul du Toit, Bell-Roberts Contemporary Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2000
Paul du Toit, PaKua Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
De Lijn, Gallerie Plett, Zeist, Holland
1999
Freehand, Millennium Gallery, Pretoria, South Africa
1998
Future Fantastic, Bang the Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Paul du Toit, Galerie A’part, Paris, France
Paul du Toit, South African Virtual Gallery
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2016
Imago Mundi-Luciano Benetton Collection, Pioneer Works, New York City, NY, USA
2015
Imago Mundi-Luciano Benetton Collection, Fondazione Cini, Venezia, Italy
2014
Inventory 14, 34 Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town Art Fair, 34Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2013
After the rainbow nation, NIROX Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
2012
Blend, 34 Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Pace Prints, with artists Chuck Close, Jim Dine and Yoko Ono, For The Lunchbox Fund, New York City, NY, USA
2011
Present/History II, Erdmann Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
2010
19th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2009
Annual benefit auction, Dieu Donné Papermill, New York City, NY, USA
Recovery, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Ilana Raviv and Paul du Toit, Art Vine Fine Art & Wine Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Mixit, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
In Storage, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
18th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2008
Regeneration, Kyle Kauffman Gallery, New York City, NY, USA
17th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Four, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Face 08, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Lustre, dots and more, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2007
Art Now Fair, Kyle Kauffman Gallery, New York, Miami, USA
Inaugural exhibition and auction, Dieu Donné Papermill, New York City, NY, USA
Face, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
Cottesloe Beach, Perth, Australia
KKNK, Bell-Roberts Gallery, Oudtshoorn, South Africa
2005
Absolut Finale, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town, South Africa
2006
Twogether, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
About Face, Bell Roberts Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
Review, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Recent Arrivals, 34LONG Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2004
13th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
PFSA Milk Can Project, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town, South Africa
Uitverkoping 30×30 exhibition, University of Stellenbosch Gallery, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Art Cool, Bell-Roberts Contemporary Art, Cape Town, South Africa
2003
12th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Mettle and Paint, Bell-Roberts Contemporary Art, Johannesburg, South Africa
AFA Rosmalen, Rosmalen, The Netherlands
The President’s Cup, Fancourt, George, South Africa
Vision Photography Festival, Bell-Roberts Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
1001 Reasons to love the earth, Seoul, Korea
2002
11th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, Canada
2001
Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy (Medal Award)
Holland Art Fair, Netherlands Congress Centre, The Hague, Holland
10th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Daimler Chrysler Sculpture Award, Johannesburg Art Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa (nominated finalist)
70/2000 – On the road to Meikle Seggie, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom
Art Collection, Ambassador Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
Allsorts, Bell-Roberts Contemporary, Cape Town, South Africa
2000
Collaboration, Bell-Roberts Contemporary Art, Cape Town, South Africa
9th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Group Exhibition, Galerie Plett, Zeist, Holland
70/2000 – On the road to Meikle Seggie, Stanley Pinker Gallery, Kingston, United Kingdom
Edinburgh City Art Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1999
8th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Moscow short film video festival, A3 Gallery, Moscow, Russia
Softserve at SANG, Liberman Room, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Twoman @ Gallery 88, Gallery 88, Sasolburg, South Africa
1st Edinburgh Internet Festival, Celtica Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1998
7th Art Salon, Rose Korber Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Group Exhibition, Sara Pearce Fine Art, Bond Street, London
Art beyond borders, Augsberg City Hall, Augsberg, Germany
Naked Man, Bang the Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Colour Explosion, Hout Bay Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
1997
Big and small, Groot Constantia Art Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
1994
The Arts Association of Bellville Awards Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
South African Breweries Ltd
Ellerman House Collection
Vodacom
DaimlerChrysler
Bowman Gilfillan
Boschendal
Luciano Benetton collection