The Violet Rampart
Mixed media on paper, 250 x 200cm
Rupert Art Foundation, Stellenbosch

Karel Anthony Nel was born in 1955 in Pietermaritzburg. He studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and in London. He is a graphic artist and draws in graphite, conté, crayon, charcoal, pastel and sprayed pigment on bonded fibre fabric. Highly regarded for his large scale drawings, still-life, interior and abstract works. Nel is also a respected sculptor and known for abstract works in metal, steel and bronze. He is concerned with the relationship between science and the arts and the connection between the physical and metaphysical. He received the Gold Medal in the 1982 Cape Town Triennial for his work – Bodhisattva.

Today Nel is one of South Africa’s most respected and internationally sought-after artists.  His works are included in various public collection in South Africa and are also on display in museums in Europe and America. Nel is still living in Johannesburg and is involved in the Wits School of Art.