6 September 1910

Pioneer South Africa artist Gerard Bhengu was born at an outstation of Mariannhill Mission Station at Centecow, Bulwer district in Southern Natal. Bhengu‘s remarkable skill attracted wide attention but was prevented from formal art training for fear that it would spoil and corrupt his natural gift.

His paintings were exclusive in watercolor and sepia ink on paper, with his earliest paintings and drawings dating from 1926. His artworks are seldom inscribed with a date, although they are almost always signed. Bhengu died in 1990 in Umlazi, Durban. His paintings have been part of the art collections of Museum Africa, the University of Fort Hare, and the Albany Museum in Graham’s Town.