Red Lechwes

A bronze sculpture of two Red Lechwes designed in 1970 by the South African sculptor, Coert Steynberg (1905-1982). The sculpture was originally intended for the Harare Airport in Zimbabwe, however the renowned South African businessman and conservationist, Dr Anton Edward Rupert (1916-2016) and his wife, Huberte Rupert donated the cast to the University of Pretoria in 1970. It was originally placed in front of the historic Club Hall but was relocated in 1980 to form part of the new water fountain feature in front of the Old Arts Building, home to the University of Pretoria Museums. The sculptural work has become an icon of the campus with hundreds of students taking their graduation photographs in front of the artwork. The bronze sculpture is often mistaken for Impala, as Red Lechwe (Kobus Leche) or the southern Lechwe is an antelope found in the wetlands of south central Africa. Short biography: Coert Steynberg (1905 –1982) is a renowned South African sculptor who worked in stone, marble, bronze, copper and wood. His work is represented nationwide and internationally, including a statue of Bartholomew Dias in South Africa House in London, a monument to Andries Pretorius in Graaff-Reinet, and the Peace of Vereeniging monument in Vereeniging. He studied at Rhodes University and the Royal College of Art. Steynberg is most well-known for sculpting a statue of Paul Kruger in the Kruger National Park. His most famous coin design is the pronking springbok on all gold Krugerrands. While Steynberg is famous for his huge statues of former public figures, his many private works are of his most definitive works, such as his well-known statuette of the dancing Mabalel. As an artist he was awarded many awards such as the Honorary Life Membership from the Royal Society of Arts, London; Honorary Life Membership: South African Arts Association; Honorary Membership: International Society of Arts and Letters, Lausanne, Switzerland, D.Phil. (Honoris Causa) from the University of Pretoria. He also received medals from the Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, Portugal, the medal of medal: Admiralty of the Navy, Portugal and the Medal of Honour form the South African Academy of Science & Art. In later life his works tended to be of a more abstract nature. He experimented with a wide variety of materials, such as lacquer, coloured glass, wire mesh and ceramic. Coert Steynberg died on the 28 July 1982 in Pretoria.