George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba

(South African, 1912-2001)

Portrait of Mrs May Murray Parker

Footnotes

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by Mrs Murray Parker in Cape Town, 1947.
By direct descent to current owner.


Mrs May Murray Parker was the granddaughter of Sir John Charles Molteno, first Prime Minister of the Cape. Her family were respected members of Cape Town's intelligentsia; May's aunt, Elizabeth Molteno, was a close friend of Olive Schreiner, and a fervent advocate of equal rights for black South Africans. Through Elizabeth and her fellow campaigners, May was introduced to a number of artists and writers from the black community.

May was also particularly close to Donald Molteno, an advocate at the Cape Bar and a staunch opponent of apartheid. In 1937, he was asked to represent the ANC in the House of Assembly, and would later be appointed the President of the South African Institute of Race Relations in the Western Cape. Donald's home functioned as an unofficial meeting place for political figures at the forefront of the civil rights campaign. One such individual was Prof. Jabavu of the University of Fort Hare, whose portrait George Pemba was commissioned to paint in 1950. It is likely that May encountered the artist at one of Donald's gatherings.

May commissioned this portrait from Pemba in 1947. During the 1920s and 30s, a number of Acts were passed that sought to restrict the freedoms of black South Africans, including the Urban Areas Act which resulted in the creation of African townships, and the Colour Bar Act which prevented Africans from practicing skilled trades. It was becoming increasingly difficult for individuals like Pemba to earn a living. During this period, portrait commissions were the mainstay of his income; a fact May was only too aware of. In asking Pemba to paint her, May was both demonstrating her confidence in Pemba's artistic capabilities, and signalling her antipathy to the discriminatory legislation.

Bibliography
S. Hudleston, Against All Odds: George Pemba, his life and works, (Johannesburg, 1996), 35-37.