Strauss & co - 10 November 2014, Johannesburg

94 Egon Guenther was born in Mannheim, Germany, in 1921. He trained as a gemmologist at the Staatliche Meisterschule in Pforzheim and later ran a workshop and art gallery in Mannheim. He developed a passion for African art and started collecting as a teenager. In 1951 Guenther immigrated to South Africa and soon established contact with the local art world. He initially started a jewellery workshop in Johannesburg and later established an art gallery on Bree Street. However, he believed that artworks looked better when viewed against a natural background and did not feel that the heart of the city was the ideal setting for his Johannesburg gallery. Consequently, he gave architect, Donald Turgel, free reign to add a gallery wing to his house which was constructed entirely from South African woods and other indigenous materials. Guenther was a collector, promoter of the arts, designer, gemmologist and jeweller, but his primary objective was to fight for the international recognition page 94, from left : Amodlozi Exhibition invitation, 1963 Cecil Skotnes, Edoardo Villa, Guiseppe Cattaneo, Egon Guenther page 95 from left : Edoardo Villa Sydney Kumalo Cecil Skotnes Ezrom Legae