Irma Stern: finding her voice

IRMA STERN: FINDING HER VOICE

Phillippa Duncan, researcher, writer, advisor

Thursday 22–Friday 23 January  1.00 pm  COURSE FEES R230; Staff and students R115

Irma Stern is the most famous twentieth-century South African artist. Given that nearly 150 years have passed since her birth, and 2026 marks 60 years since she died, why is she still such a compelling personality and artist? The lectures will explore the voice of Stern through her correspondence with friends and colleagues, as well as her writing, and will use specific examples to illustrate her personal and social connections.

Lecture titles

Irma Stern: her work, her life, her words
Irma Stern: artist and sitter, the power of place

Recommended reading

Arnold, M. 2003. A Reputation in Print in Irma Stern: Expressions of a Journey. Johannesburg: Standard Bank Gallery.

Below, I. 2003. Between Africa and Europe in Irma Stern: Expressions of a Journey. Johannesburg: Standard Bank Gallery.

Higgie, J. 2021. The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Klopper, S. 2017. Irma Stern: Are You Still Alive? Cape Town: Orisha Publishing.

TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1575238523

Phillippa Duncan is an independent art advisor and researcher whose work centres on South African art from 1930 to 1980. She serves as art advisor and curator to the Claude Bouscharain and Erik Laubscher Foundation, which promotes research and engagement with South African post-war art.

With extensive experience auditing national and municipal collections through the GRAP 103 process, Duncan is familiar with many of South Africa’s major private and corporate collections. Her master’s research (2022) explored the posthumous management of Irma Stern’s legacy, reflecting her broader interest in artists’ estates and legacy planning.

A Council member of the Friends of the Iziko South African National Gallery, Duncan also sponsors emerging artists at the Ruth Prowse School of Art. She is committed to fostering open knowledge-sharing within the art world and to developing accessible frameworks for artists’ estates and collection stewardship.