A 55-year-old resident is less upset over his house being broken into and more upset over his ‘beautiful girl’, a prized painting, that was stolen.
The painting by Karoo artist Lizelle Kruger titled ‘How fragile we are’ depicts a nude Boer woman lying in foetal position on lichen-covered earth, a white Voortrekker cap covering her head. It forms part of Kruger’s ‘Karoo Kado’tjies’ collection (Kado is a reference to the French word cadeaux which translates to ‘present’). He bought it for R 18 000 in 2011 at one of her exhibitions in Cape Town, for which he specifically boarded an aeroplane. It is now valued at roughly R36 000.
He told the Record how he acquired it.
“I read about her exhibition in one of the daily newspapers back in 2010 and saw what I thought was the most beautiful nude painting I had ever seen, titled ‘Sannie het gaan water haal daar onder by die dam’.
“I just had to know more and I started researching rigorously, hoping to be able to acquire it,” he said.
His research led him to an art exhibition in Cape Town and he bought return flight tickets without thinking twice.
“I thought I would spoil myself this one time, why not? Her paintings look like photos and I couldn’t resist.”
The larger ‘Sannie’ painting was simply too expensive at the end of the day, but he fell in love with ‘How fragile we are’, amorously referring to the painting as “my girl”.
Naturally he was devastated when he learned that, after the family had left for a family event in Nelspruit on Friday 1 May, his house was broken into the next morning.
“After acquiring the painting I was determined to meet Kruger, which I did, and we got along smashingly and eventually became friends. Naturally, I let her know as soon as I could that the painting was gone,” he told the Record.
He reports that Kruger was “wrecked over it” and the artist thought of it as “her child is gone”.
Along with the valuable painting, electronic items like the family’s TV, laptop, camera and his wife’s jewellery were stolen.
“I’m not a rich arts collector of some sort, but that painting was very special to me and I am heartbroken to have lost it.”
The man said that though the painting was not insured in its own capacity, it was covered by his home contents insurance.
The Record had attempted to contact Kruger for further comment but have not yet had a response.
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