Van Wouw, Anton (1862-1945), was one of South Africa’s foremost sculptors. He became known for his realistic and detailed national monuments. Van Wouw’s bronze statue of President Paul Kruger, surrounded by four figures of Afrikaner patriots, stands in Church Square, Pretoria. The monument was commissioned in 1896 and was the first significant commission of its kind in South Africa. Women’s Monument in Bloemfontein, commissioned in 1912, is a tribute to the women and children who died in concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Van Wouw was also known for his small-scale bronze works, especially of mine workers and of the Khoikhoi and San, ancient peoples of southern Africa (see Khoikhoi ; San ).
Van Wouw was born on Nov. 20, 1862, in Driebergen, in the Netherlands. He studied at the Rotterdam Academy of Art. In 1890, he and his parents immigrated to Pretoria, capital of the South African Republic. There he worked as a gunsmith and gave private lessons in drawing and painting. He also submitted cartoons to the press. He died on June 30, 1945.
