DAVID GOLDBLATT (SOUTH AFRICA 1930-2018) | FIETAS ,1976
Provenance : Provenance: The collection of the late Paul Alberts.
Exhibited :
Literature :
Notes : ABOUT THE ARTWORK David Goldblatt documented the community of Fietas, north-west of Johannesburg between 1952 and 2006, with some of his most important historical images of the area taken from 1976-77, before Indian residents were forcibly removed under apartheid. Although affectionately known as Fietas by its residents, the area was officially called Pageview. One of only a few ‘non-racial’ areas in Johannesburg, Malay, Chinese, African, Indian and a few white people lived in the area. Made up of narrow streets of small 2-3 bedroom houses, people of different races and religions formed a strong community. When the National Party came to power in 1948 they set out to remove all ‘non-white’ inhabitants from Pageview. Over 5000 Africans and others were ‘persuaded’ to leave under the promise of better townships and Indians were to move to Lenasia, 35km from the city. The Indian community fought against the removal for over 20 years, mainly in the courts, but in 1977 all but a few were finally forced out. This compelling image of a woman standing proudly at the entrance to her home was taken by Goldblatt the previous year, in 1976. An important historical documentation of the last days of Fietas, it is a record of what is no more and a poignant reminder of impermanence. COLLECTOR'S NOTE • This photograph was hand-printed by David Goldblatt in his darkroom and forms part of a collection of prints gifted by Goldblatt to fellow photographer Paul Alberts. • On the reverse are inscriptions – notes and numbers – which were possibly the Golblatt’s records including information such as exposure times, indicating that this print may have been the original test proof where Goldblatt recorded information from the printing process. A book featuring the series, Fietas: Fractured is planned for publication by Steidl in 2024. COLLECTIONS The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, Johannesburg Art Gallery; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Jewish Museum, Cape Town; Art Institute of Chicago; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; National Museum of Photography, Copenhagen; Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Getty Center, Los Angeles.
Condition_report : The condition is excellent.
