Anne Sassoon
Anne Sasson (b. 1943) is a Welsh artist whose life has been spent between England, Wales, South Africa, the United States and Israel. The sense of isolation, exile, and displacement of those living on the margins is a thread that runs through her highly theatrical and expressive style. But it is the politics of apartheid South Africa which formed her methodology and critique.
Anne Sassoon (b. 1943) is an artist born in Wales and grew up in apartheid-era South Africa. Her early life in South Africa strongly influenced her work, where she often showed the realities of racial inequality and everyday life under apartheid.
She studied and worked in Johannesburg and became part of the country’s art and cultural scene during a time of political struggle. She collaborated with important South African artists and thinkers, including Barney Simon and David Goldblatt, and was involved in documenting major historical events such as the inquest into Steve Biko’s death and the Soweto uprisings.
In 1986, Sassoon moved to London, where she continued exploring ideas of identity, separation, and “the Other” in her art. She later lived in Jerusalem, where her work continued to focus on complex human relationships and conflicting perspectives, often using biblical themes like Ishmael and Isaac.
Her art is mainly figurative, focusing on people. She is influenced by photographers, film images, and artists like Francis Bacon and German Expressionists. Her work often explores how people see each other and how different truths can exist at the same time.
