William Kentridge received his bachelor of arts from the University of Witwatersrand in politics and African studies. He is a skilled draughtsman, animator and dramaturg, easily lending his talents to multimedia productions. In 1975 he founded the Junction Avenue Theatre Company. He was a student at the Johannesburg Art Foundation (1976-78) and later studied mime and theater in Paris. From 1982 to 1984 he was art director on a variety of television series and feature films. Kentridge has had great success in recent years in the international art scene with his animated videos.

Head
1994
Charcoal, pastel and tempera on paper
50 x 66.3 cm (19 11/16 x 26 1/8 in.)
98-12-1, museum purchase
(on view May-August 2001)

Kentridge's works on paper can be regarded as "stills," which he can later transform into animated films. Like many South African artists, his works often comment on the turmoil and violence of apartheid. Kentridge, however, deftly relates these specific histories to larger shared human dramas.

Here, the head is pictured as part of a corpse, outlined in chalk, as if from a crime scene. The vantage point, through which the viewer sees this image resembles the round sight of a sniper's rifle.