Auriol Batten Tribute at Ann Bryant Gallery

Auriol Batten Known as one of South Africa’s finest botanical artists, her illustrations have been published nationally and abroad. For the first time, the wide scope of this artist’s work will be on display at a retrospective in honour of her contribution to art and botany.

Auriol Batten has illustrated and co-illustrated 9 books, amongst others “Flowers of Southern Africa”, “Water Source of Life” and the recently released “Freesia”, and has supplied art for many exhibitions.

This April art aficionados and lovers of South Africa’s exquisite flora are in for a rare treat!

Exhibition to Honour South Africa’s Finest Botanical Artist On Tuesday, the 12th of April 2011, the Ann Bryant Art Gallery, in East London will mount “A Tribute to Auriol Batten”, a retrospective of Batten’s work to honour her contribution to art in South Africa. For the first time an exhibition will feature the wide scope of Batten’s art; contrasting the precise botanical works for which she is well known, with a selection of her ceramics, photography, a range of stamps from the early 1990’s, and a variety of her landscapes and still lives in watercolour, pastels and oils. Her career spans seven decades and reflects the diversity and richness of her talent.

The exhibition will also feature her books and awards and coincides with the launch of her latest illustrations in the book, “Freesia” by Dr John Manning and Peter Goldblatt, with plates from the book on display. The retrospective is being organised by a special committee consisting of representatives from the East London Wildflower Society, the Advisory Board of the Ann Bryant, the Friends of Ann Bryant, the Fine Art Society, the East London Museum and members of Auriol Batten’s family.

“She is South Africa’s finest living botanical artist.” Dr John Manning, Senior Specialist Scientist, Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute.

About the artist Auriol Ursula Luyt Batten (nee Taylor) Born in Pietermaritzburg in 1918, Auriol Taylor obtained a B.Sc degree and Higher Education Diploma from Natal University (1937), majoring in Botany and Geography and went on to pursue a teaching career at several schools in the Natal Midlands. Her interest in flower painting stems from the encouragement of her parents and two inspirational art and botany teachers at school. This in turn led to her studying art at the Durban Technical College. Auriol married Ashley Batten in 1941 and moved with him to East London in 1945, where she still lives today.

After settling down in East London she devoted her time to her young family and four art forms: painting, drawing, photography and ceramics/modelling. She created a garden which is a joy to the eye, her laboratory, which contains a selection of some of Africa’s most precious plants. This is also the garden she tends daily and in which her children and eldest grandchildren took their first steps.

1966 saw the publication of the “Wild Flowers of the Eastern Cape Province” which was also the first wild flower guide to the region and collaboration with another Eastern Cape artist Hertha Bokelmann, incidentally her cousin by marriage. This was followed a year later by “Water Source of Life” by Douglas Hey, and so began her career as one of South Africa’s most renowned botanical illustrators. For the sumptuous “Flowers of Southern Africa”, published in 1986, she illustrated 100 species accompanied by text written and compiled entirely by herself.

Marion Arnold, editor and co-author of the book “South African Botanical Art” says the following of Auriol Batten’s work: “…Batten’s knowledge of botany and formal control of visual language and medium, create an informative and effective image. In short, she interprets her subject and produces a complex likeness. Her paintings reveal how illustration becomes art…”

Her work was chosen for the exhibition of “Art in Science” at the International Botanical Congress, Missouri in America (1999) and is found in the collections of the South African National Biodiversity Institute and of the Royal Botanical Garden, Edinburgh.

She is a founder member of the Border Wildlife Society, serves on the board of various conservation bodies and the board of Trustees for the East London Museum. She is mother to three, grandmother to six, great-grandmother to two and one of South Africa’s national treasures.

Awards 1986 Gold Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society London for her illustrations in Flowers of Southern Africa.

1990 & 1992 Winner of the Beeld “Stamp Designer of the Year Competition” 1991 Co-winner of The Lady Usher Literary Award of the Natal Society 1992 Cynthia Letty Award of the Botanical Society of South Africa 1993 Citizen Citation of the City of East London Council Certificate of Merit of the South African Society of Botanists 1994 Ph.D in Science (honoris causa) Rhodes University 2000 Gold Medal at the Inaugural Exhibition of Botanical Art, Kirstenbosch 2004 Silver Medal Kirstenbosch Biennale 2004 Honorary Life Membership of the Botanical Artists Association of Southern Africa 2007 Honorary Life Membership of the Border Wild Flower Society 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award Kirstenbosch Biennale 2008

Exhibition Information A Tribute to Auriol Batten Opening 18h00 on Tuesday 12 April 2011 At the Ann Bryant Art Gallery Open to the public From Wednesday, 13 April until Wednesday 27 April 2011 Monday to Friday: 9h00 – 17h00 Saturday’s & Public Holidays: 9h00 – 12h00 Ann Bryant Art Gallery 9 St Marks Road, Southernwood, East London, 5201 T: 043 7224044 | F: 043 7431729 | C: 083 501 3392

The exhibition will feature 10 of the 18 botanical plates Auriol Batten did for the book "Freesia". The book will also be on sale on the evening of the opening and thereafter at the East London Museum shop, or through Kirstenbosch. See attached example plate.

The landscape oil (see above) by contrast shows the diversity of this artist's talent.

The national flower of South Africa, the Protea, has also been painted many times by Auriol Batten, see image above of the illustration she did for her book: Flowers of Southern Africa.

Auriol Batten painted stamps for Namibia (Trees of Namibia) and the now defunct Ciskei and Transkei (Endangered and protected plants).

The stamps will be on display at the exhibition.

Auriol Batten was instrumental in the starting of pottery classes at the East London Tech. See image above of a vase done by her in the famous British "Moorcroft style" which will also be on display at the exhibition.