Luther Marais

Luther Marais was born on the 25 February 1935 in Port Elizabeth. In 1939 his family moved to Porterville, where his father started a printing company. Uncle Tienie Marais was the leader of a boereorkes and also did a bit of painting. He grew up with a great exposure and influence of music and art.

At the age of 4 Luther could play the concertina and the harmonica, and at the age of 6 toured with the University of Stellenbosch’s boereorkes.

At the age of 17 he obtained his printing diploma at the Printing Union of Cape Town and later on, managed and took over his father’s printing company. At the age of 18 he started his own boereorkes with 5 members. He was involved in broadcasting with the SABC and two records of his own composition has been released.

In 1956 his first painting saw the light and in 1974 he moved to Pretoria where he made painting his profession.

Luther has never had any artistic tuition. Some of the leading galleries in the country is currently exhibiting his work as part of a joint exhibition, and many of his paintings are hanging in Embassies and private collections in South Africa and all over the world.

Luther’s love for Cape Town, the West Coast, it’s people, the old District Six, the fishing community, Woodstock, Soutrivier, Elands Bay, Struisbaai etc. is obvious in his work.