Hendriks, Petrus Anton (1899 – 1975)
Anton Petrus Hendriks was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in the year 1899. Hendriks studied at the
Rotterdam Academy as well as in Paris, France. In 1925 Hendriks had a chance meeting with JH Pierneef,
who shared his lodging-house in Amsterdam. The meeting with Pierneef led to an invitation to visit South-
Africa and exhibit with him. In 1926, Hendriks arrived in South-Africa and stayed in Pretoria. The proposed
exhibition didn’t take place because he found difficulty in adjusting to the strange, harsh light, and thus
confined his painting to portrait commissions. From 1928 – 1933, he was appointed Principal of Pta Tech Art
School, but resigned after to concentrate on free-lance work. Hendriks was appointed Director of the Jhb Art
Gallery from 1937 – 1966.
Anton Hendriks laid the foundations of his career with a thorough academic training, which equipped him
well for the early change of course from practical to curatorial activity. His painting style was conservative,
displaying a scholarly respect for the realist conventions of the school which nurtured him and a thorough
understanding of the technical requirements of oil painting. Some of his artworks has been publicly collected
by Pretoria Art Museum, Durban Art Gallery, Rembrandt Art Foundation and more. Anton Hendriks passed
away in Paris, France.