Photographer Goldblatt honoured

11 Nov 2009

World-renowned photographer David Goldblatt was recently presented with the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) Visual Art Lifetime Achiever Award for photographic art. The award, sponsored by the Vodacom Foundation, celebrates the careers of professionals who have had a profound and lasting impact on arts, culture and heritage in South Africa.

Goldblatt's dedication to the art of photography has indeed been legendary. For the influence his art has had over the past 50 years, and his role in documenting the details of South African life dating back to the period of apartheid, Goldblatt was awarded the R30 000 prize.

Chairman of the Vodacom Foundation Mthobi Tyamzashe, said: "Vodacom values the efforts of individuals who pave the way for others to experience their dreams in life. As a pioneer in the field of cellular technology, Vodacom appreciates pioneers such as Goldblatt, who create legacies that uplift the country and inspire others."

While schooling at Krugersdorp High School, Goldblatt became interested in photography and began seriously to develop his talent after he matriculated in 1948. However, at the time, the photographic industry was barely existent in South Africa, and it was very challenging for him to fulfil his goal of becoming a magazine photographer.

Exhibitions and tours

Decades later, his remarkable track record includes many photographic exhibitions and tours across the globe, one of which was a retrospective display of his work demonstrated in New York, Barcelona, Rotterdam, Lisbon, Oxford, Brussels and Munich in 2001.

He has also been awarded many prizes, including the acclaimed Camera Austria Prize in 1995 for an excerpt from his essay "South Africa the Structure of Things Then". In 2006, at a ceremony in Goteberg, Sweden, Goldblatt's creativity was celebrated with the most prestigious photography prize in the world, the Hasselblad Photography Award.

Nomination open to the public

The ACT Awards have, over the years, recognised and awarded many who have been dedicated to creating, nurturing and empowering South African arts, culture and heritage for up to 10 years. The nomination process is open to the public and every year a new panel of judges is selected.

In 2008, Miriam Makeba, David Koloane and Lynette Marais were awarded the ACT Lifetime Achiever Award. In 2007, the winner was playwright Ronnie Govender and in 2006 the traditional artist, Esther Mahlangu, was granted the award.