The Kebble family on Wednesday announced that the Brett Kebble Art Awards, which were planned for February next year, will not go ahead.
“The Kebble family informed me today that after a family conference they had decided not to go ahead with the awards. They say that it is too difficult emotionally for them to continue at this time, so soon after Brett’s death,” said producer of the awards David Barritt.
Barritt said the family have not ruled out a version of the awards continuing at some point in the future.
He added that the family wish to thank all the artists who have submitted work and the curatorial team that has worked on the awards.
Barritt said the family have promised to return to the artists all their work already in Cape Town after being selected for the finalists’ exhibition.
“In their first two years, the Brett Kebble Art Awards had made a significant contribution to the art community and South Africa will be poorer for their loss,” said Barritt.
“The late Brett Kebble created South Africa’s biggest, boldest and most inclusive art awards. Because of him, artists like Doreen Southwood, Tanya Poole and Phillip Rikhotso sprang to national prominence and many other artists gained a wider audience to appreciate their work,” he added.
The curator of the awards, Clive van den Berg, said: “The Brett Kebble Art Awards will not be easily replaced. For many contemporary artists, they provided a unique platform. We were very excited about the quality and range of work submitted this year. It is an enormous loss.” — I-Net Bridge