“George Boys has played an invaluable and pioneering role in the art world in South Africa, both as an artist and teacher,” Charles Gray, long-time representative of the artist on the South African front told the Record. Boys passed away on Tuesday 4 March.
Gray, of Florida Picture Framers, informed the Record of the passing of this South African artist and previous Florida resident at the age of 84.
Gray described Boys, for whom he had been a long-time representative on the South African front, as “articulate, well read, infectiously enthusiastic and down to earth”.
Boys, who was born on 22 September 1930, was schooled at Hoërskool Florida and later studied at Wits Technical Art School from 1949 until 1953.
In 1962 he held his first solo exhibition of abstract art and reportedly sold out on the opening evening. He retired to become a full-time artist in 1970.
“In his formative years he was inspired by Vassily Kandinsky (an American abstract expressionist) and by Japanese calligraphy.
“Boys went on to become one of our [South Africa’s] most accomplished non-figurative abstract artists,” Gray said about the late Boys.
“The artist represented South Africa internationally, and his works could be found in major public and private collections.”
Boys is survived by his wife Yvonne, daughter Diane and son-in-law Richard, as well as his grandchildren Andrew, Ann and Thomas.
Read Gray’s full description of Boys’ contribution to South African art in the next print edition of the Record.
