(Above: Jan Jordaan. Pic supplied)
The arts world is sad to announce the sudden passing of Durban artist and educator Jan Jordaan on Saturday September 20, 2025, in Knysna where he was living in retirement.
Born in 1949 in Springs, Gauteng, Jan completed a BA Fine Arts degree at the University of Pretoria in 1973. He then lectured at Potchefstroom University for two years prior to moving to Durban in 1975 to take up his position as lecturer in the Fine Arts Department at Durban University of Technology, where he worked until his retirement.
In 1984, he spent six months at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and repeated another six-month stint in 1991.
As a Human Rights activist, in 1996 he initiated, facilitated invited artists participation and printed the groundbreaking Images of Human Rights Portfolio which led to his establishing the Art for Humanity NGO based at DUT. Jan was influential in arranging for exhibitions and exchanges to take place between Durban and other cities, both locally and internationally.
In 1998, he was approached by Breyten Breytenbach to set up a Printmaking studio at the Goree Institute on Goree Island, Senegal, where he spent five months in residence. Sadly, his Goree colleagues Breyten, and Koyo Kouoh, who subsequently headed the Zeitz Museum, have all passed within the past 12 months.
As a practising painter, sculptor, and graphic artist, Jan participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in South Africa and abroad. His work is represented in private and public collections, including the Durban Art Gallery and the Constitutional Court Art Collection.