Gerard de Leeuw was born in Amsterdam in 1912 to parents who appreciated the arts, and to a father who was a goldsmith. An interest and sensitivity towards art led him to train at several European art schools, including the prestigious Art Academy in Antwerp and various art schools in Paris where he learned the fundamentals of bronze casting.

He arrived in South Africa in 1932 and immediately befriended a number of fellow artists, such as Lippy Lipshitz and Wolf Kibel, who invited him to be part of the ‘Palm Studio’ in Roeland Street. The artist received several commissions for bronze sculptures in his lifetime, with his smaller works distributed in public and private collections. He moved to Jo...