Sydney Alex Kumalo (South African, 1935-1988)Moses and Disciples
signed 'KUMALO' (back of Moses' left leg)
bronze
Moses: 47 x 28.5 x 7cm (18 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 2 3/4in); first disciple: 33 x 28.5 x 7.5cm (13 x 11 1/4 x 2 15/16in). Second disciple: 40 x 22 x 17cm (15 3/4 x 8 11/16 x 6 11/16in).
(3)注脚Provenance
Acquired from the Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg in 1974.
A private collection, USA.

Sydney Kumalo enrolled at Polly Street Art Centre in 1953, where he assisted Cecil Skotnes from 1957 to 1964. Skotnes encouraged him to become a professional artist and arranged for Kumalo to work in Edoardo Villa's studio from 1958 to 1960, to receive professional guidance and to familiarise himself with the technical aspects of sculpting and bronze casting.

Kumalo started exhibiting his work with some of the leading commercial Johannesburg galleries in 1958, and had his first solo exhibition with the Egon Guenther Gallery in 1962. His career took off in the mid 1960s, with his regular participation in exhibitions abroad, including prestigious events such as the Venice and Sao Paulo Biennales. From 1969 he allied himself with Linda Givon, founder of the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, where he exhibited regularly until his death in December 1988. Skotnes, Villa, Legae and other peers from the Polly Street era also exhibited at the Goodman Gallery.

Moses and the Disciples was originally conceived by Kumalo in the early 1970s, and comprised Moses with Aaron and Joshua. Two sets were sold by the Goodman Gallery at this time; number 1/5 (the above casts) and number 2/5 (sold in these rooms in October 2014).

In 1986 Kumalo carved a third disciple and the remaining three versions of the edition were then sold with the three disciples.

Bibliography
M. Nicol, 'Sydney Kumalo' in They Shaped our Century: The Most Influential South Africans of the Twentieth Century, (Cape Town, 1999) p.451.
E. Miles, Polly Street: The Story of an Art Centre, (Johannesburg, 2004).
S. Sack, The Neglected Tradition: Towards a New History of South African Art 1930-1988, (Johannesburg, 1988).
E J de Jager, Images of Man: Contemporary South African Black Art and Artists, (Alice, 1992).