King Edward VII School Old Boy, William Kentridge was on Friday, 12 July at the celebration of Bastille Day in Pretoria given the highest accolade from the French government when the country’s order of arts and literature were awarded.

Elisabeth Barbier, the French ambassador, made Kentridge commander in the order. It is France’s highest rank in this order.

Only 20 people in the world of the arts are honoured in this way each year. The order is awarded since 1957 to artists working in France and the rest of the world has made a significant contribution.

At the handover Barbier Kentridge is referred to as “South African artist, but also citizen of the world”.

Kentridge in his short acceptance speech in French refers to the approximately 12 months he and his wife, Anne, spent in France in the early 1980’s when he studied at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.

“That was where I really acquainted with the work of people like Lecoq and Wuppertalse dance and performance artist Pina Bausch. “It was and remains for me a part of my development as an artist.”

Kentridge other contributions to the French arts and culture include involvement in the Avignon Festival, and his version of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, first in the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris and then across France. For its production Telegrams from the Nose Kentridge worked with the French composer François Sarhan and his version of Shostakovich’s The Nose was seen in the Jeu de Paume in Paris.

In 2010 he displayed in the Louvre a small exhibition of paintings for movies, Carnets d’Egypt.

Further honours bestowed on Kentridge is, the Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Arts in 1987 and the Kyoto Prize in 2010. The King Edward Community applaud William on this wonderful honour and are extremely proud of this Old Boys achievement.

(Article courtesy of Beeld Nuus)