It is indeed fortuitous that Stanley Pinker can be included in the list of South African artists. He was born in Windhoek from an English father and studied art in Cape Town under Maurice van Essche, but, feeling that his roots lay in Europe, in 1951 he left South Africa to find them. Apart from a brief appearance in Cape Town in 1954 for a one-man exhibition, he felt he belonged in Europe where the pleasure and struggle in discovering new unexplored fields and acquiring new knowledge had begun. He spent the next twelve years there before the battle for survival became too much for him and he eventually decided to return to Cape Town.

Initially he lived in modest circumstances , managing to make ends meet by doing freelance work as an illustrator and giving private art classes. However, through his friendship with Maurice van Essche, in 1969 he was offered employment at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town, where he taught until 1986. By his own admission, his work benefited enormously from this experience.

Pinker realized that his roots lay in Africa after all and that his artistic career belonged here. To begin with his paintings revolved almost entirely around the landscape but, as he became increasingly aware of the complexities of this society, he began to introduce figures. As time progressed he became known for his conceptual approach to painting, and his own particular style evolved.

Pinker’s artistic career has spanned over fifty years. He has participated in numerous exhibitions both in South Africa and in the United Kingdom, from 1949 and well into the twenty-first century, his quirky interpretations constantly causing surprise and delight.