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JOHANNES MEINTJES Artist, Author and Historian 1923 - 1980
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'Mine is the vision of a painter sprung from the soil of Africa and I have given it in a personal statement which may find a response in the heart and imagination of another generation'.
Johannes Meintjes (1960)
JOHANNES MEINTJES ARCHIVAL WEBSITE
We are compiling a catalogue raisonné of the paintings of Johannes Meintjes and approximately 2000 images may be viewed on this archival website.
Please assist by sending any images that you may have to cmt@iafrica.com
We are compiling a catalogue raisonné of the paintings of Johannes Meintjes and approximately 2000 images may be viewed on this archival website.
Please assist by sending any images that you may have to cmt@iafrica.com
FRONTIER FAMILY
A CHRONICLE OF A SOUTH AFRICAN FARM, ITS HOMESTEAD AND ITS PEOPLE
Pages: 166 (in English)
CLICK HERE for a free version most graciously made available by The Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN 46802, United States of America.
This literary gem chronicles Johannes Meintjes' profound connection to his family and their ancestral farm, Grootzeekoegat.
It is essential reading for anyone interested in the early life and times of this iconic South African artist.
As Dr Keith Meintjes observes in his foreword to a recent publication by the Vernacular Architecture Society of South Africa on Grootzeekoegat, Frontier Family is more than a mere first-hand account; it vividly evokes the deep fascination and affection that Meintjes and his contemporaries felt for the homestead and farm.
Like many frontier outposts, peace was slow to settle upon Grootzeekoegat. While most of these historic family homes - including Grootzeekoegat - crumbled away over time, Meintjes’ precise yet humorous portrayal of the people and events allows the reader to step into the past. As he writes: "At Grootzeekoegat the spirit of the place is particularly pungent. You can sense it outside in the open veld, and when you walk into the house it enfolds you. Even without seeing the landscape or the rooms about you, you can feel laughter and tears, tenderness and violence - the poles of the passions - all integrated into an element that almost breathes about you."
In her opening address for the Meintjes memorial exhibition at the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU) in 1990, Dr Hermien McCaul-Dommisse reflected on the farm’s profound, almost mystical significance in the artist's life: "Two years after his return to South Africa [in early 1947, following art studies in London, Paris and Amsterdam], he withdraws to the isolated family farm Grootzeekoegat. A magical and mysterious word in the life of Johannes Meintjes. The Meintjes family acquired the homestead, built in 1824 as a home as well as fortress against the Xhosa nation during frontier wars, in 1859. Here three preceding generations farmed with sheep and this is where his father died when Meintjes was only five years of age. The family had little choice but to move away to Riversdal.
For more than twenty years Meintjes had been dreaming about his return to Grootzeekoegat, to claim his inheritance and to reunite with his past. Here he would give expression to himself as a painter, write all his important manuscripts and build up his highly prestigious library.
What strange mutations of the spirit moved through those generations of frontier families to bind Meintjes so inextricably to Grootzeekoegat and to spark the creative forces that drove him through his life?
No visitor to Grootzeekoegat could escape the haunting atmosphere and sense of mystery that hung over these mountains… the legendary Storm- and Bamboesberge… and the aura of things unknown and unseen that pervaded the silent veld stretching out beyond the farmhouse. Once the sea had covered it; great forests have grown there and through the millennia it had been the home of wild animals and men. It was the scene of the great battles between frontier farmers and the Xhosa nation driven southwards by the warrior King Shaka.
It is almost impossible to pinpoint, but something of the primeval spirit of that place, of its timelessness, its loneliness and the deepest, most enduring and indestructible part of man is reflected in the canvasses painted by Meintjes."
In his correspondence with Meintjes, Sir William Plomer remarked that: "I began to read Frontier Family and could not stop. I am astonished by your energy and courage, appreciative of your visual sense, fascinated by your account of the house and its surroundings, and delighted by every detail of your family background and forebears. It is a warm, humane, exuberant book and it has often made me laugh. If I say more you will think I am gushing, but the book has given me much pleasure." - Johannes Meintjes Diary IV, p.37 (13 December 1955).
A CHRONICLE OF A SOUTH AFRICAN FARM, ITS HOMESTEAD AND ITS PEOPLE
Pages: 166 (in English)
CLICK HERE for a free version most graciously made available by The Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN 46802, United States of America.This literary gem chronicles Johannes Meintjes' profound connection to his family and their ancestral farm, Grootzeekoegat.
It is essential reading for anyone interested in the early life and times of this iconic South African artist.
As Dr Keith Meintjes observes in his foreword to a recent publication by the Vernacular Architecture Society of South Africa on Grootzeekoegat, Frontier Family is more than a mere first-hand account; it vividly evokes the deep fascination and affection that Meintjes and his contemporaries felt for the homestead and farm.
Like many frontier outposts, peace was slow to settle upon Grootzeekoegat. While most of these historic family homes - including Grootzeekoegat - crumbled away over time, Meintjes’ precise yet humorous portrayal of the people and events allows the reader to step into the past. As he writes: "At Grootzeekoegat the spirit of the place is particularly pungent. You can sense it outside in the open veld, and when you walk into the house it enfolds you. Even without seeing the landscape or the rooms about you, you can feel laughter and tears, tenderness and violence - the poles of the passions - all integrated into an element that almost breathes about you."
In her opening address for the Meintjes memorial exhibition at the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU) in 1990, Dr Hermien McCaul-Dommisse reflected on the farm’s profound, almost mystical significance in the artist's life: "Two years after his return to South Africa [in early 1947, following art studies in London, Paris and Amsterdam], he withdraws to the isolated family farm Grootzeekoegat. A magical and mysterious word in the life of Johannes Meintjes. The Meintjes family acquired the homestead, built in 1824 as a home as well as fortress against the Xhosa nation during frontier wars, in 1859. Here three preceding generations farmed with sheep and this is where his father died when Meintjes was only five years of age. The family had little choice but to move away to Riversdal.
For more than twenty years Meintjes had been dreaming about his return to Grootzeekoegat, to claim his inheritance and to reunite with his past. Here he would give expression to himself as a painter, write all his important manuscripts and build up his highly prestigious library.
What strange mutations of the spirit moved through those generations of frontier families to bind Meintjes so inextricably to Grootzeekoegat and to spark the creative forces that drove him through his life?
No visitor to Grootzeekoegat could escape the haunting atmosphere and sense of mystery that hung over these mountains… the legendary Storm- and Bamboesberge… and the aura of things unknown and unseen that pervaded the silent veld stretching out beyond the farmhouse. Once the sea had covered it; great forests have grown there and through the millennia it had been the home of wild animals and men. It was the scene of the great battles between frontier farmers and the Xhosa nation driven southwards by the warrior King Shaka.
It is almost impossible to pinpoint, but something of the primeval spirit of that place, of its timelessness, its loneliness and the deepest, most enduring and indestructible part of man is reflected in the canvasses painted by Meintjes."
In his correspondence with Meintjes, Sir William Plomer remarked that: "I began to read Frontier Family and could not stop. I am astonished by your energy and courage, appreciative of your visual sense, fascinated by your account of the house and its surroundings, and delighted by every detail of your family background and forebears. It is a warm, humane, exuberant book and it has often made me laugh. If I say more you will think I am gushing, but the book has given me much pleasure." - Johannes Meintjes Diary IV, p.37 (13 December 1955).
FINE ART AUCTIONS : RECORDS TO DATE
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RECORD FOR BOOKS Maggie Laubser Monography. 1944. 47 pp HAUM, Cape Town Dedicated to Gerrit Bakker Sold for USD 1,680 on 24 November 2016 by Antiquarian Auctions |
RECORD FOR GRAPHIC WORKS 1942 Self Portrait 380 x 340 Charcoal heightened with white Sold for USD 18,694 on 26 Sep 2011 by Strauss & Co |
RECORD FOR OIL PAINTINGS 1951 Swazi Landscape II 635 x 435 Oil on board Sold for USD 75,172 on 8 Oct 2012 by Strauss & Co |
THE JOHANNES MEINTJES MEMORIAL ROOM AT THE MOLTENO HIGH SCHOOL
The Molteno High School in the Eastern Cape houses an important collection of more than 70 art works representing Johannes Meintjes' creative output.
EXHIBITION AT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY'S SASOL ART MUSEUM
14 JULY TO 28 AUGUST 2010
Regular updates take place as more images and information become available.
Last update: 31 January 2026
Last update: 31 January 2026
A South Africa artist who deserves to be regarded alongside Maggie Laubser
PUBLICATION BY THE VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA
JOHANNES MEINTJES DIARIES : ENGLISH TRANSLATION
The artist Johannes Petrus Meintjes (19 May 1923 to 7 July 1980) was also a historian and author. Spanning a period of almost 40 years, his body of autobiographical work includes thirteen diaries. Considered Africana, Meintjes self-published the first four volumes (three Diaries and Jeugjare) through his Bamboesberg Publishers.
His first diary entry was on 13 February 1941, while the last entry was recorded in 5 July 1980, two days prior to his death. The various diaries, published and unpublished, represent a collected work that tells the story of Johannes Meintjes’ life as an artist and author. This includes inscriptions on people he met, comments about political events as well as matters of faith.
In this English synopsis (424 pages, illustrated with examples of his artistic output) the compilers steered clear of deeply personal, nonsensical or malicious comments, while toning down accounts of his extensive social activities. There are references to health or financial issues that affected Meintjes’ creativity and the experience of pain and sadness is also touched upon briefly where appropriate.
In the end, it was Meintjes’ entry on 30 January 1964, ‘When I started on the Diary, I never realised that it would become my monument. If it were ever to appear as a single volume, who knows, it can be cut drastically’, that served as catalyst and inspiration culminating in the Afrikaans publication of the Johannes Meintjes Dagboeke launched at the Stellenbosch University Museum in 2023, a century after his birth.
It gives us pleasure to announce that an English version, Johannes Meintjes’ Diaries, is now available for purchase as an eBook at R250 from itsi store and Google Play [click on the icons below to order].
The artist Johannes Petrus Meintjes (19 May 1923 to 7 July 1980) was also a historian and author. Spanning a period of almost 40 years, his body of autobiographical work includes thirteen diaries. Considered Africana, Meintjes self-published the first four volumes (three Diaries and Jeugjare) through his Bamboesberg Publishers.
His first diary entry was on 13 February 1941, while the last entry was recorded in 5 July 1980, two days prior to his death. The various diaries, published and unpublished, represent a collected work that tells the story of Johannes Meintjes’ life as an artist and author. This includes inscriptions on people he met, comments about political events as well as matters of faith.
In this English synopsis (424 pages, illustrated with examples of his artistic output) the compilers steered clear of deeply personal, nonsensical or malicious comments, while toning down accounts of his extensive social activities. There are references to health or financial issues that affected Meintjes’ creativity and the experience of pain and sadness is also touched upon briefly where appropriate.
In the end, it was Meintjes’ entry on 30 January 1964, ‘When I started on the Diary, I never realised that it would become my monument. If it were ever to appear as a single volume, who knows, it can be cut drastically’, that served as catalyst and inspiration culminating in the Afrikaans publication of the Johannes Meintjes Dagboeke launched at the Stellenbosch University Museum in 2023, a century after his birth.
It gives us pleasure to announce that an English version, Johannes Meintjes’ Diaries, is now available for purchase as an eBook at R250 from itsi store and Google Play [click on the icons below to order].
Publishing a synopsis of all thirteen diaries into one single volume was a project that took more than ten years. It was spearheaded by Dr Lydia de Waal (a previous Director of the Stellenbosch University Museum) and assisted by the Johannes Meintjes Archivist.
Associate Professor Emeritus at Stellenbosch University, Dr Edwin Hees, translated the document into English. Mr Bongani Mgijia, the Director of the Stellenbosch University Museum, graciously arranged for sponsoring this translation. Amanda Botha, seasoned arts journalist, ends the book with her valued conclusion ‘The Meintjes Diaries: Mirror and Reflection’. The English translation contains additional archival material kindly made available by the Meintjes family from their personal collection.
Download JOHANNES MEINTJES - DIARIST by Edwin Hees
Download THE MEINTJES DIARIES: MIRROR AND REFLECTION by Amanda Botha
Associate Professor Emeritus at Stellenbosch University, Dr Edwin Hees, translated the document into English. Mr Bongani Mgijia, the Director of the Stellenbosch University Museum, graciously arranged for sponsoring this translation. Amanda Botha, seasoned arts journalist, ends the book with her valued conclusion ‘The Meintjes Diaries: Mirror and Reflection’. The English translation contains additional archival material kindly made available by the Meintjes family from their personal collection.
Download JOHANNES MEINTJES - DIARIST by Edwin Hees
Download THE MEINTJES DIARIES: MIRROR AND REFLECTION by Amanda Botha
