James de Villiers

James de Villiers occupies a distinctive place within contemporary South African art. While his paintings are often described as abstract, they are rooted in a lifelong fascination with the systems, patterns and forces that shape both the natural world and the cosmos.

Drawing inspiration from ecology, astronomy, geology and the sciences, de Villiers creates artworks that encourage viewers to look beyond surface appearances. Swirling forms may evoke galaxies, microscopic organisms, root systems, weather patterns or landscapes seen from above. The ambiguity is intentional, allowing each work to exist simultaneously on multiple levels.
A recurring theme throughout his practice is transformation. Growth and decay, creation and destruction, order and chaos all appear within his work as interconnected processes rather than opposing forces. This perspective gives his paintings a sense of movement and evolution, as though they are capturing moments within much larger cycles of change.

Collectors are often drawn to the depth and complexity of de Villiers' work. His paintings reward sustained viewing, revealing new relationships, structures and visual pathways over time. While informed by scientific ideas, the work never feels academic. Instead, it invites curiosity, contemplation and a renewed sense of wonder about the world around us.

Working in oil, acrylic, charcoal, pastel, screenprinting and mixed media, de Villiers continues to expand his visual vocabulary while remaining committed to exploring the relationship between nature, perception and the unseen forces that connect them.

James de Villiers (b.1954) is a contemporary South African artist whose work explores the visible and invisible forces that shape our world. Working across painting, drawing, printmaking and mixed media, he has spent decades developing a practice that draws inspiration from both the natural environment and scientific discovery.

Although largely self-taught, de Villiers pursued studies through the University of South Africa and the former Free State Technikon. Before dedicating himself fully to art, he worked across a wide range of creative fields including graphic design, illustration, publishing and exhibition design. These experiences helped shape the visual language that characterises his work today.
Nature has remained a constant source of inspiration throughout his career. Equally fascinated by the growth of plants, the cycles of decay and regeneration, and humanity's evolving understanding of the universe, de Villiers creates artworks that move freely between observation and abstraction. His paintings often suggest landscapes, galaxies, cellular structures or natural phenomena without being tied to a single interpretation.
In recent years, abstraction has become an increasingly important part of his practice. Through layered surfaces, energetic mark-making and complex networks of colour and form, he creates compositions that invite viewers to slow down and engage with the mysteries and interconnectedness of the natural world.

Today, James de Villiers' work is held in private and corporate collections in South Africa and internationally. His paintings, prints and mixed media works continue to appeal to collectors seeking contemporary art that combines intellectual curiosity, visual richness and a deep appreciation for nature.

Selected Exhibitions:

2024
Group exhibition - The Shipping Forecast - StateofheART Gallery Cape Town

2021
Affordable Art Fair 2021 at EDG2020 Gallery, Kyalami, Johannesburg. Awarded second prize for Vortex, a multimedia screenprinted work on paper.

2018
Group show at White River Gallery, Mpumumlanga, titled "Na die Maal" (After the Meal)
Group exhibition at The Art of Siver Gallery in Cullinan

2017
Group exhibition "Untitled" at the Moor Gallery Franschhoek
Group exhibition "Genre" at the Moor Gallery Franschhoek

2016
Group exhibition "Ephemeral Pleasures" at the Moor Gallery Franschhoek
Group exhibition "Muse Montage" at Eclectica Design and Art
Group exhibition "Scapes: Rhythms of an Environment" at StateoftheART Gallery, Cape Town
Group exhibition "Optical Diversions" at Eclectica Design and Art Gallery, Cape Town

2016 July  A pastel painting titled "After the Battle" accepted by the Delville Wood Memorial Museum in the Somme, France

2013
Solo exhibition “Decay Transfigured” at Gallery on 6th in Parkhurst, Johannesburg.

2011
Group exhibition “Altered Pieces” at the Thompson Gallery

2010
Solo exhibition “Earth & Sky” at Right on the Rim at Arts on Main in Johannesburg.

2009
Group exhibition “War and Hate” at Right on the Rim, Arts on Main, Johannesburg

2006
Solo exhibition “Nature Morte” at the Gordart gallery in Melville, Johannesburg

2005
Group exhbition “Earth & Sky” at the Gerard Sekoto Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Johannesburg
Group Exhibition “Forty Hand painted Pictures” at Gordart Gallery

2004
Exhibited on group shows at Gordart Gallery, Melville “For the Record/Off the Record”. Organised and performed in “Mayday Experimental music evening” at Gordart.
Exhibited in Christmas Miniature show Gordart Gallery

1999
Participated in group exhibition touring Mexico and the US, “Transmigrations 1999”

1998
Group exhibition ”Buttons” at the Civic Gallery, Johannesburg

1996
“Landscapes”, two-man show at Gallery Palette, Pretoria Art Gallery with Pieter Swanepoel

1994
Group exhibition “Biting The Ballot”, Rembrandt Gallery, Johannesburg
Group Show at the ICA, Johannesburg

1993
Solo exhibition at the Long Gallery, SA Association of Art Gallery, Cape Town

 

Which new trends or South African artists do you find inspiring at the moment?
The use of digital media.

Which South African deceased artist do you most admire and why?
Christo Coetzee for his incredible range of subject matter and mastery of style and mediums along with a vision that withstands the test of time.
 
If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?
Anselm Kiefer’s “Eros — Thanatos,” 2019. Emulsion, oil paint, acrylic, shellac, gold leaf, wood and metal on canvas.
 
Pick three artists who you would be honored to exhibit with – and why
Anthony Scullion, Erika Hibbert and Nicholas Hauser. I have known each of the artists personally over a long period of time and each of us owns an artwork of the other. We have very different styles but there are common threads which link them.
 
How did you get started? Did you always want to be an artist?
My mother who painted in her spare time inspired me at the age of 17 and when I became an apprentice photo-lithographer and process engraver at The Natal Witness newspaper in 1972, that was when I knew I wanted to be an artist.
 
What are some of the key themes you explore in your work?
My relationship with nature regarding the processes of decay and growth and more specifically, the interconnections of the micro- and macrocosms of existence as reflected in astronomy and particle physics. The mystery of existence and the transmutation of energy.
 
What should people know about your art that they can’t tell from looking at it?
Most works are part of a lengthy process of overlaying and erasing of various ideas and materials. Some paintings are on the other hand very spontaneous and quickly executed. Many paintings and screenprints take up to several years to complete due to new ideas overlaying the original idea. A continual metamorphosis and layering.
 
Tell us more about your creative process.
An artwork usually starts off with an observation of some kind of phenomenon in the natural world which also connects to my spiritual understanding at the time. At first I use very broad and spontaneous brushwork to establish a workable, dynamic surface. The basic form of the work often changes radically in the early stages. From then on the artwork could be resolved over a few days if there aren’t many layers of paint. However if I’m using thick oil or acrylic paint the drying time of paint layers dictates the speed which the painting will finish. I prefer working with oil paint and a painting may take up to a year to be adequately dry to be considered for either selling or exhibiting. I often use screenprinting to establish background patterning or texture when I’m doing certain subject matter on canvas or paper. This is mostly acrylic based.
 
Do you believe an artist should use their platform to influence society? Why?
It depends on what type of art one does and I think art could possibly make a viewer more aware of certain environmental and social issues. I don’t think artworks really reach the people who most need to heed whatever societal message is contained in them. In my opinion it is documentary photography and film which has the most impact and greater chance of reaching a wider audience.
 
Do you have a favourite or most meaningful work?
The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan and Hubert van Eyck
 
What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?
I am able to make a living from my art.
 
What are your aspirations for the future?
I would like to be able to refine my art both conceptually and technically to a very high level and also reach a wider audience.

 

Read an interview with James de Villiers about his abstract paintings in 2022 >>