Items Similar to The Tennis Court - Mandela, South African President, Signed, Robben Island,sport
- Design Credit: Samantha Todhunter Design Ltd., Photo Credit: Oliver Clarke. Dimensions: H 15.75 in. x W 20.08 in.
- Design Credit: Lucy Harris Studio, Photo Credit: Francesco Bertocci. Dimensions: H 15.75 in. x W 20.08 in.
- Design Credit: Timothy Godbold, Photo Credit: Karl Simone. Dimensions: H 15.75 in. x W 20.08 in.
- Want more images or videos?Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9
Nelson MandelaThe Tennis Court - Mandela, South African President, Signed, Robben Island,sport2003
2003
$9,612.69
About
Nelson Mandela, The Tennis Court, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph
Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela turned his hand to art in his 80's as a way of leaving a legacy for his family. He spent time with an art tutor and learnt to draw.
The transformation of the courtyard so the prisoners could exercise playing tennis led Nelson Mandela to mediate on the perversity of being able to play such a civilised sport in so brutal an environment.
The motivation reads:
“In 1977 forced manual labour was ended after we maintained a two-year go-slow strike. We asked to do something more useful with our days instead of the monotony of mining lime and stone from the quarries. This action, however, robbed us of the opportunity to exercise, and after much effort we convinced the warders to allow us to convert the courtyard into a tennis court.
Prior to this, the prisoners were marched round and round the courtyard for half an hour everyday. We used to walk around the courtyard quickly in single file under the watchful eye of the guards.
Our persistence paid off and we painted the cement courtyard surface to create a traditional tennis court layout. Strangely, Robben Island was the first opportunity for me to play tennis since university. I was by no means an expert, but the exercise was a welcome break from the walks to and from the quarry and round and round the yard.
Being able to exercise one’s mind and body through play was immensely freeing. Playing tennis and attending to my gardening became my two favourite hobbies on Robben Island. It was a strange sensation enjoying such civilised hobbies in such an uncivilised place. It caused me to reflect on the strange and perverse nature of apartheid, where they wrongly thought that one peoples’ freedom could only be enjoyed at the expense and oppression of another.”
An edition of 350 lithographs was launched on Robben Island in 2003.
Details
- CreatorNelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)
- Creation Year2003
- DimensionsHeight: 15.75 in. (40 cm)Width: 20.08 in. (51 cm)Depth: 1.58 in. (4 cm)
- Medium
- Movement & Style
- Period
- Condition
- Gallery LocationKnowle Lane, GB
- Reference Number
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingCustoms Duties & Taxes May Apply.Ships From: Knowle Lane, United Kingdom
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
1stDibs Buyer Protection Guaranteed
If your item arrives not as described, we’ll work with you and the seller to make it right. Learn More
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1986
1stDibs seller since 2019
9 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 6 hours
More From This Seller
- By Nelson MandelaLocated in Knowle Lane, CranleighNelson Mandela, The Lighthouse, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela tu...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- By Nelson MandelaLocated in Knowle Lane, CranleighNelson Mandela, The Harbour, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela turne...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- By Nelson MandelaLocated in Knowle Lane, CranleighNelson Mandela, The Courtyard, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela tur...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- By Nelson MandelaLocated in Knowle Lane, CranleighNelson Mandela, The Walk, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela turned h...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- By Nelson MandelaLocated in Knowle Lane, CranleighNelson Mandela, The Church, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela turned...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- By Nelson MandelaLocated in Knowle Lane, CranleighNelson Mandela, Artist's Motivation, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mande...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
You May Also Like
Pool House, Limited Edition Print, Mid-Century Modern, Architecture, Framed
By Andy Burgess
Located in Riverdale, NY
Pool House by Andy Burgess is a limited edition Lithography, chine collé. It is an edition of 30, signed and numbered. It is 6/30. It is 29 1/2 x 37 inches, framed to 32 x 39.75 i...
Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Prints
Materials
Lithograph
"The Gates VIII, from Project for Central Park, New York" signed lithograph
By Christo
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"The Gates VIII, from Project for Central Park, New York" offset lithograph in colors on wove paper. Signed Christo in pencil on front lower right. Sheet size: 39 x 27 1/2 inches (99...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Night and Branches
By Claire Sherman
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Edition 30.
The dense, tangled, and undulating forms of spaces and plants in Claire Sherman’s recent bodies of work address some of the complicated new environment...
Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Waterfall
By Claire Sherman
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph with chine collé, Ed. 30.
Sherman’s paintings and prints propel the viewer into a claustrophobic and unstable world through a perspective that shimmies between repr...
Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Flores Hechas de Cielo / Flowers Made out of Sky #2
By Ana Maria Hernando
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph with cut-outs, Edition 30.
Words from the artist's poem:
Swelling inside the mud, blackness damp and robust,
flowers full of star’s yearning,
brimming under ange...
Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
The River at Belfast, Maine
By Yvonne Jacquette
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Edition 30.
Jacquette creates compelling images of the landscape and the sea from the air or atop hills or mountains.
Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Recodo
By Rafael Ferrer
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Ed. 25.
Rafael Ferrer depicts the intense life of the Caribbean in his paintings and prints. With hot colors, deep shadows and mysterious relationships among his f...
Category
1980s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Leaves and Vines
By Claire Sherman
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Ed. 30.
Sherman’s paintings and prints propel the viewer into a claustrophobic and unstable world through a perspective that shimmies between representation and ab...
Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
As the Moon Rises
By Susan Hall
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph with pochoir, Edition25
Susan Hall lived and worked for many years in New York City before returning to her childhood home in Point Reyes Station, California. She...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Flores Hechas de Cielo / Flowers Made out of Sky #1
By Ana Maria Hernando
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph with cut-outs, Edition 30.
Words from the artist's poem:
Swelling inside the mud, blackness damp and robust,
flowers full of star’s yearning,
brimming under ange...
Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Recently Viewed
View MoreThe 1stDibs Promise
Learn MoreExpertly Vetted Sellers
Confidence at Checkout
Price-Match Guarantee
Exceptional Support
Buyer Protection
Insured Global Delivery