In 1945, seven years before former Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs joined the liberation struggle in apartheid South Africa, his appreciation for art had already bloomed. Paintings by his mother's artist friend adorned the walls of his childhood home.
Around the same time in his life, his trade unionist father sowed the idea of fighting for freedom in Sachs's mind. In an interview with the Mail & Guardian in 2010, Sachs recalled how his father sent him a postcard during World War II that read: "Dear Albert, congratulations on your sixth birthday. May you grow up to be a soldier in the fight for liberation."
You were given a collection of Dumile Feni's drawings and you also feature in the documentary about his life, Zwelidumile. Do you still have many of his pieces?
We were close friends in exile in London. He gave me one drawing just after the Soweto uprising, but the other pieces I bought at galleries in London. I raised funds in the United States for his sculptural masterpiece History to be enlarged, cast in bronze, and placed at the entrance to the Constitutional Court.
What are your thoughts on Feni's artworks?
His work with pen and in clay is exquisite. He had all the extraordinary creativity and all the anguish of being a genius. I gave all his drawings to the Constitutional Court and only have two small ones left.
During apartheid, there were many forms of activism that challenged the regime – and visual art was one of them. Which artist do you feel truly fought against oppression through their work?
Many fought in different ways. Dumile, Bill Ainslie, William Kentridge, Jane Alexander, Sue Williamson, Peter Clarke are just a few of them.
What about in contemporary South Africa? Do you feel that there is tolerance for activist artists such as The Spear's Brett Murray or Ayanda Mabulu, whose art piece was banned from the 2013 Art Fair in Johannesburg?
As a former judge it is best that I say: No comment!
You were instrumental in assembling the Constitutional Court's art collection at Constitution Hill. What, in the collection, is your favourite?
Not a fair question. It's like asking who is your favourite child: Judith Mason's Blue Dress or John Baloyi's Ghost or Marlene Dumas's tapestries or … or… or…
While in exile in Mozambique and England, what art movements and artists from the two countries moved you the most?
In Mozambique I immersed myself in the artists' movement. Art was life, it was death, it was hope, it was despair. I particularly admired the painter Malangatana and the sculptor Chissano, both of whom had created distinctive art forms and become more famous in their country than football stars. In the United Kingdom, I read about art, went to a few exhibitions, followed the public debates, but never felt deeply involved.
How did living in the two countries shape your appreciation for art?
In very broad terms, in England I found visual art became increasingly based on technique and concept, rather than on deep inner vision and emotion. The heartbeat, the passion, the mystery and inventiveness of art in Mozambique captured me far more profoundly. I learnt to admire public art. It has given me joy to donate 95% of my artworks to UWC and the Constitutional Court. And the works are happy there.
Who is your favourite contemporary South Africa artist and why?
Uh uh, must I choose between Willie Bester and William Kentridge, or Wilma Cruise and Willem Boshoff, just to mention those whose names begin with the letter "W"?
What was the last piece of art you bought or were given?
Three murals painted by my son Alan Sachs on the walls in our completely rebuilt home on Clifton beach.