ANTON SMIT WALK AT NELSON MANDELA SQUARE SANDTON

Discover the incredible sculptures in the Anton Smit Walk at Nelson Mandela Square Mall in Sandton, available in bronze and GRP. These striking works, created by renowned sculptor Anton Smit, are available for purchase at Artyli Gallery, conveniently located on the ground floor opposite the escalators to the Michelangelo Hotel. Enquire now at Artyli Gallery or WhatsApp us at +27 78 648 8221.

Artyli Gallery ships sculptures and artwork safely and securely worldwide, bringing exceptional African contemporary art to collectors across the globe.

Artyli Gallery is a contemporary African art gallery committed to showcasing the creativity and diversity of African artists and those from the African diaspora. Our purpose is to provide a platform where artists’ studio practices, narratives, and voices are celebrated, fostering meaningful connections between creators, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Guided by the values of transparency and relationship-building, we strive to cultivate trust and credibility within the art community and beyond. Through considered curated exhibitions, enriching panel discussions, and engaging walkabouts, Artyli Gallery facilitates deeper understanding and appreciation for the vibrant stories embedded in African art. Our unique approach balances accessibility and excellence. With both a physical presence in the prestigious Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg, and an expansive digital platform, we create opportunities for diverse audiences to explore and acquire artworks. From seasoned collectors to first-time buyers, we believe in making contemporary African art accessible without compromising its integrity or cultural significance. As a 40% black owned,B-BBEE-compliant gallery, we offer a comprehensive range of professional services, including global shipping, art advisory, curation, framing, delivery, and installation. This holistic approach ensures a seamless experience for our clients, while supporting the evolving careers of the artists we represent. Artyli Gallery invites you to engage with bold and thought-provoking exhibitions that reflect the richness of African creativity, foster cultural dialogue, and celebrate the enduring impact of art across borders.

Anton Smit
South African . B. 1954

Widely revered for his overwhelming heads and monumental african sculptures, evoking themes of suffering, reconciliation, glory and sublimation, his works grace public and private collections countrywide and internationally.

“Spoken verse, the echoes of emotive lyrics and the rasping of sculptures in progress are customary sounds emitted from his studio. Larger than life, Anton Smit is the embodiment of poetry, an apt term for this sculptor, derived from the term “making”.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A SOUTH AFRICAN SCULPTOR

Anton Smit began exhibiting art in 1976 in South Africa In 1979 he won the South African Association of Arts' New Signatures competition.His first solo exhibition in 1980 was held at the Beuster Skolimowski Gallery in Pretoria, South Africa with further local exhibitions throughout the 1980s. Smit’s first international exhibitions were first held in 1991 in Rome and Milan, and at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoletto, Italy, followed by solo exhibitions at Sweeguan Art Gallery, Singapore in 1993 and Omni Gallery, New York in 1994. His work was exhibited at the inauguration of President Nelson Mandela 1994 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa. In 2003 he established the Anton Smit Sculpture Park at Bronkhorstspruit dam, South Africa. Throughout the 2000’s until present, Smit continues creating new works and exhibiting internationally.
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“I like to imbue my work with an illusion of movement or gesture, bodies curling up or limbs reaching out to the onlooker, a call to movement. Some observers have noted that this is why so many of my pieces, even the most abstract ones, manage to communicate powerfully and emotionally. My sculptures and art are possessed with a raw, earthy power that feels innately African.” - Anton Smit
Large Scale
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  Collosal Youth - Monumental, 2022
  GRP
  470 x 167 x 80 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  The Burning Man , 2021
  GRP
  241 x 121 x 62 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  Faith - 3M with Loincloth, 2022
  GRP
  318.5 x 242 x 86 cm
During 1990, international recognition came in the form of exhibitions in Rome and Milan, an invitation to exhibit in New York and Hong Kong as well as a return exhibition in Italy in 1993. More exhibitions have followed in Bonn, Washington, Singapore and Koln. In 1994 he put 35 sculptures on exhibition in New York at the Grand Central Station as part of the Strengthening the Link initiative to boost trade between South Africa and The United States, organised by SATOUR in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry, represented by former president Nelson Mandela.
Life Size
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  In Moment Series II, 2019
  Bronze
  195 x 158 x 25.5 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  Song of the Soul, 2013
  Bronze
  171 x 34 x 33 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  Toiva Ya Toiva Thought-Pause-Gesture, 2021
  GRP
  207 x 82 x 47 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  In Moment Series I, 2019
  Bronze
  184 x 39.5 x 26 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  In Moment Series IV, 2021
  Bronze
  199 x 40 x 34 cm
- Artworks
  Anton Smit
  But-I-Fly, 2021
  Bronze
  169.5 x 37 x 32.8 cm
- Artists
  Anton Smit
  Click to view more sculptures
Since Anton Smit was recognised as a budding sculptor in his early years he has never looked back. With consistent hard work and continuous international and local exhibitions, ever increasing search for new and deeper artistic expression, Anton Smit is arguably one of the major sculptors alive today, exhibiting across South Africa, with exhibitions in Witrivier, Nelspruit, Pietersburg, Johannesburg, Potchefstroom, Durban and Cape Town, in leading galleries such as the Crake, Kraft, Olivetti, Michaelatos, Beuster Skolimowski, Everard Read. Smits works graces public and private collections locally and abroad and he was featured at SCOPE Art Fair in New York.

Widely revered and arguably one of the major sculptors alive today, the sculptures by Anton Smit evokes themes of suffering, reconciliation, glory and sublimation. His body of work comprises towering human figures, nudes, heads, masks, hands, angels, floating and stretching figures, warriors, as well as abstract works, sculpted out of steel, metal, stone and a unique iron and polymer cast mixture, as well as bronze.
Exhibitions
- Exhibitions
  Urban Echoes
  An exhibition standing as a testament to the creative resilience that arises from the fusion of diverse artistic expressions 1 - 8 July 2023
- Exhibitions
  Colossal
  An exhibition intertwining sculpture and poetry in collaboration with Anton Smit 13 August - 31 October 2022

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Anton Smit