The Violinist

The violinist dated 1943 in bronze by Edoardo Daniele Villa (1915-2011). The work was a portrait of Edoardo Villa's bunkmate during his incarceration in the Zonderwater Prisoner of War Camp in 1943. The University of Pretoria has one of the most extensive Villa collections of this notable South African sculptor, born in Italy. Villa worked primarily in steel and bronze and he is mostly known for his abstract and cubist works. Short biography: Edoardo Daniele Villa was born on 31 May 1915 in Bergamo, Italy. Here he studied at the Andrea Fortini Art School under Minotti, Barbieri and Lodi, his studies brought him to cities like Milan and Rome. In 1939 Edoardo Villa volunteered for the Italian Army and wounded in Egypt at the battle of Sidi Barrani during the Second World War in 1940. Villa was taken prisoner and was subsequently brought to South Africa as a prisoner of war and interned at the Zonderwater Prisoner of War (POW) camp near Pretoria. He was released in 1947 and remained in South Africa where he practised his art as a sculptor. Villa adopted his new country and became one of the most noted and accomplished abstract sculptors of his time. In 1965, Villa married Claire Zafeirakou who was his companion until she passed away in November 2010. Edoardo Villa lived in Johannesburg until his death on 1 May 2011.