Van Wouw House

This house dating from 1938 was built for the famous sculptor Anton van Wouw and is an example of Norman Eaton’s romantic, organic designs. The thatch roof overhang provides shade for the windows, the face brick finish is typical of the materials that Eaton liked to use in his designs and the house was designed to blend well with nature. It was later used as the Anton van Wouw Museum when the Rembrandt Group, under the direction of Dr Anton Rupert, provided the funds to the University of Pretoria to acquire the house in 1974. The museum is currently on the University of Pretoria’s main campus.

Anton van Wouw
Known as the father of South African sculpture, Anton van Wouw was born in 1862 in Driebergen, close to Utrecht, the Netherlands. After some initial basic training in sculpture he worked for a plastering company and later in a concrete casting factory. At these places he learned important skills for his career as a sculptor. His architect/artist friend Vieillevoye taught him to appreciate architectural styles and to draw truthfully. These vital skills served him well since his move to Pretoria in 1890 and over his lifetime when he created numerous bronze sculptures for important buildings and people.

Sources:
FISHER, R.C. 1998. The Third Vernacular. In Architecture of the Transvaal. Edited by R.C. Fisher and S. le Roux, with E. Maré. Pretoria: the University of Pretoria. p.122-147.
HARROP-ALLIN, C. 1975. Norman Eaton: Architect. Cape Town and Johannesburg: C. Struik Publishers.
artefacts.co.za/architect (accessed 27 January 2014).