Sculptor John Francis Gardner has presented the City of Cape Town with a bronze bust of former president Nelson Mandela, who is also a freeman of the city.
The presentation was made to Executive Mayor Dan Plato at the Council meeting on 28 October 2009.
“The sculpture is temporarily in the foyer of the mayor’s office, in front of the enlarged picture of Mandela’s speech from the City Hall when he was released from prison,” said Cllr Owen Kinahan.
Gardner is currently working on three series of busts: ‘Legends of Africa’, ‘Legends of the World’, and ‘Nobel Peace Prize Laureates’. Apart from Mandela, these include Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk, Helen Suzman and John Kani.
“Cape Town has such a rich heritage and it is with absolute pleasure that I present this bronze bust to the city of my heart,” Gardner said.
Gardner studied both medicine and fine art at the University of Cape Town. He is presently based in both New Zealand and Cape Town, and is also known in the city for his conservation work over many decades.
“The best part of sculpting for me is creating life from raw clay. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing people and in studying them, capturing the essence of their personality in bronze. Many of these people have made a significant and positive contribution to the world and their memory will live on through the images created,” he said.
His association with Mandela goes back to 1985, when he was arrested for making contact with two of Mandela’s grandchildren in the Transkei. He created a bronze of Mandela which now sits in Mandela’s offices at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg.
Kinahan added that when Gardner flew in with the bust and came through customs, he was asked if he had anything to declare and said “Mandela’s head”, but was let through, no questions asked!
Martin Pollack
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