The tradition of black artists in South Africa has, until recently, been neglect-ed. However, in the last ten years a new art history has developed from a growing awareness of the omissions of the past. At the forefront of this reassessment is the work of Gerard Sekoto. Born at a Lutheran Mission Station in the Transvaal, Sekoto started drawing early but did not have access to colour pencils until he was a teenager; the introduction to colour revolutionized his work. Periods of residence in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, District Six, Cape Town, and Eastwood, Pretoria produced vibrant and powerful pieces evoking both the colourful cultural activity and the tensions of the town-ships. The paintings from this time are historical records of a now extinct way of life: all three areas were bulldozed in the fifties and sixties. In 1947 Sekoto made the momentous decision to leave the country of his birth and travel to Paris - like many voluntary and involuntary exiles, he was never to return to South Africa. France brought new inspiration and Sekoto re-worked many subjects and explored different themes, all characterized by a deep sense of humanity. Towards the end of his life, Sekoto's art increasingly gained recognition mainly through the pioneering work of Barbara Lindop. Her research brought to life many paintings thought to have been lost, and, through her correspondence with Sekoto, she was able to confirm details of his life before his death in 1993. In this book, Lindop introduces the extraordinary life story of Gerard Sekoto accompanied by full colour plates of his most powerful, stirring works of art.