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A Natural History of the Studio
South African artist William Kentridge, one of the leading artists of our time, offers a personal insight into his work, his childhood, and his artistic techniques, and the studio spaces he has occupied throughout his life
What is of us, and what is not? Where to find our edge? This is another theme of these what is me and what is the world beyond me? And particularly, what are the negotiations that happen at this border, the meeting point where the world comes towards us, and we go out to meet it?
For more than three decades, South African artist William Kentridge has created a vast body of work of charcoal-, pencil- and black ink drawings and multimedia installations about history and politics that have been exhibited in museums, opera and art houses, film centers, galleries and outdoor installations worldwide. At the same time, his creative work has stretched the boundaries of the very media he employs.
The six chapters of A Natural History of the Studio immerse us in the artistic, intellectual, and production processes of his outstanding body of work. They also provide philosophical, autobiographical, technical and practical commentary and give intimate insight into the studios where he has created throughout his life – from his first workspace as a young student to his current studio in Johannesburg, where all his projects start.
A Natural History of the Studio is not only a must-read for admirers of Kentridge’s work, but also a vibrant personal and philosophical exploration of the creative process and a critical look at the world and the human condition.
What is of us, and what is not? Where to find our edge? This is another theme of these what is me and what is the world beyond me? And particularly, what are the negotiations that happen at this border, the meeting point where the world comes towards us, and we go out to meet it?
For more than three decades, South African artist William Kentridge has created a vast body of work of charcoal-, pencil- and black ink drawings and multimedia installations about history and politics that have been exhibited in museums, opera and art houses, film centers, galleries and outdoor installations worldwide. At the same time, his creative work has stretched the boundaries of the very media he employs.
The six chapters of A Natural History of the Studio immerse us in the artistic, intellectual, and production processes of his outstanding body of work. They also provide philosophical, autobiographical, technical and practical commentary and give intimate insight into the studios where he has created throughout his life – from his first workspace as a young student to his current studio in Johannesburg, where all his projects start.
A Natural History of the Studio is not only a must-read for admirers of Kentridge’s work, but also a vibrant personal and philosophical exploration of the creative process and a critical look at the world and the human condition.
- GenresArtNonfiction
216 pages, Hardcover
Published May 12, 2026
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June 3, 2026Highly recommended.
Several brilliant lectures (and a few that don’t offer so much, at least to me). But the good ones make this an esential addition to my list of great insightful works written all, or in part (i.e. extensive quotes), by modern artists. Kentridge first came to my attention when I caught an exhibition of his work while visiting Istanbul, and I later saw his Refuse the Hour theatrical production in San Francisco in 2017. So I came into this aware of how wide-ranging his work is.
William Kentbridge offers insights into how his artworks evolve through repetitive trial and error. He tries something, decides it doesn’t work, erases much or most of it, and works again on the same surface or with the same tropes, images, words, music, etc, . But this next time something is adjusted a little bit. It is both analytical—what went wrong—and free form—try anything.
This sounds simple, but Kentridge has observed his projects’ creation attentively. He is very articulate about how the process of creation reveals constraints that one didn’t originally see would limit the realization of what seemed like a terrific idea. He explains how analyzing a draft solution reveals latent ideas that can be extended or that turn the project in new directions.
After an introductory lecture, the second lecture focuses on how his solo studio works evolve. Most of the book, however, walks the reader step by step through the processes that his team of collaborators use to combine words, images, music, dance and light to shape performances that take place around the globe. Most of these collaborators are South African, so they can all take time to shape a work slowly in the studio.
The work I would have loved to see started as a commission for a frieze on the walls of the Tiber in Rome. The walls are visible only when the Tiber recedes, so this would be an ephemeral artwork. Kentridge started with memories of a childhood visit to Rome, and the image of the wolf that nurtured Romulus and Remus. This expanded into thoughts about the various roles of wolves, less benign, in history and culture. The frieze would need to cover 500 meters of wall. Add the technique of stenciling repeated mages. Add reading a 1907 Baedecker guide, Primo Levi, and a poem about the Jewish ghetto. The ghetto had been very near where the frieze was to run. Across the river was St Peter’s. Exploring the history of the ghetto, the shame of the Renaissance set against its artistic glory. Kentridge’s European heritage is Jewish, and he and his collaborators grew up in the land of Apartheid. Anger surfaces. Looking at Trajan’s column, the idea of collage, of angel’s wings added to figures on the column centuries later. Images of things and famous people from across the history of Rome to suggest the work’s title: Triumphs and Laments. Garibaldi, Svevo, Natalia Ginzberg, Giordano Bruno, the Roman Army sacking Jerusalem…. Fragmentation and collage contribute images of angels and horses. “Horses and their fragmentation became a central element of the procession.”
The idea of how the audience would experience the artwork as a procession. The audience would be across the Tiber, and would view the artificially lit frieze at night as Kentbridge’s collaborators processed along it on the walkway at the base of the wall, their shadows projected on top of the frieze as they moved along it. South African musicians, figures carrying stenciled images on poles that overlaid the stenciled images on the wall, motion, evocation of shame and pride, universal emotions, light in the dark.
This is a truly remarkable work to see and hear. You can see it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96DOd... or just search Youtube for Kentridge Triumphs and Laments
Lastly, I offer a quote from the lecture titled Finding the Sibyl.
This was a book borrowed from the library that will now be ordered for my own library. As I said, highly recommended.
Several brilliant lectures (and a few that don’t offer so much, at least to me). But the good ones make this an esential addition to my list of great insightful works written all, or in part (i.e. extensive quotes), by modern artists. Kentridge first came to my attention when I caught an exhibition of his work while visiting Istanbul, and I later saw his Refuse the Hour theatrical production in San Francisco in 2017. So I came into this aware of how wide-ranging his work is.
William Kentbridge offers insights into how his artworks evolve through repetitive trial and error. He tries something, decides it doesn’t work, erases much or most of it, and works again on the same surface or with the same tropes, images, words, music, etc, . But this next time something is adjusted a little bit. It is both analytical—what went wrong—and free form—try anything.
This sounds simple, but Kentridge has observed his projects’ creation attentively. He is very articulate about how the process of creation reveals constraints that one didn’t originally see would limit the realization of what seemed like a terrific idea. He explains how analyzing a draft solution reveals latent ideas that can be extended or that turn the project in new directions.
After an introductory lecture, the second lecture focuses on how his solo studio works evolve. Most of the book, however, walks the reader step by step through the processes that his team of collaborators use to combine words, images, music, dance and light to shape performances that take place around the globe. Most of these collaborators are South African, so they can all take time to shape a work slowly in the studio.
The work I would have loved to see started as a commission for a frieze on the walls of the Tiber in Rome. The walls are visible only when the Tiber recedes, so this would be an ephemeral artwork. Kentridge started with memories of a childhood visit to Rome, and the image of the wolf that nurtured Romulus and Remus. This expanded into thoughts about the various roles of wolves, less benign, in history and culture. The frieze would need to cover 500 meters of wall. Add the technique of stenciling repeated mages. Add reading a 1907 Baedecker guide, Primo Levi, and a poem about the Jewish ghetto. The ghetto had been very near where the frieze was to run. Across the river was St Peter’s. Exploring the history of the ghetto, the shame of the Renaissance set against its artistic glory. Kentridge’s European heritage is Jewish, and he and his collaborators grew up in the land of Apartheid. Anger surfaces. Looking at Trajan’s column, the idea of collage, of angel’s wings added to figures on the column centuries later. Images of things and famous people from across the history of Rome to suggest the work’s title: Triumphs and Laments. Garibaldi, Svevo, Natalia Ginzberg, Giordano Bruno, the Roman Army sacking Jerusalem…. Fragmentation and collage contribute images of angels and horses. “Horses and their fragmentation became a central element of the procession.”
The idea of how the audience would experience the artwork as a procession. The audience would be across the Tiber, and would view the artificially lit frieze at night as Kentbridge’s collaborators processed along it on the walkway at the base of the wall, their shadows projected on top of the frieze as they moved along it. South African musicians, figures carrying stenciled images on poles that overlaid the stenciled images on the wall, motion, evocation of shame and pride, universal emotions, light in the dark.
This is a truly remarkable work to see and hear. You can see it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96DOd... or just search Youtube for Kentridge Triumphs and Laments
Lastly, I offer a quote from the lecture titled Finding the Sibyl.
Much of the work comes into this sphere where meaning disappears. One is not thinking of meaning. We are learning the grammar of what we are making. This is the slow work of the studio. Meaning is lost in the flying paper, in the counting and turning of pages, in the understanding that if you attend carefully to the demands of the medium that you’ve chosen for yourself, a meaning will emerge, and a coherence may yet arrive.
This was a book borrowed from the library that will now be ordered for my own library. As I said, highly recommended.
August 12, 2026
“The optimism at work is stronger than doubt, anxiety, or rational assessment of conditions. It sits in the space between the hand and the paper, the mask and the actor. It sits in the dark carbon of the stick of charcoal, in the ink-filled barrel of the fountain pen. It proclaims itself as the first mark is made”.
May 20, 2026
I got this book as a giveaway from Goodreads.
I like this kind of book, and it was interesting to learn how an artist thinks , how he is trying to put his thoughts on life .
This book includes a lot of illustrations. I had never heard of W. Kentridge, but after this book, I googled and watched some videos. It boosted my knowledge of Art.
I like this kind of book, and it was interesting to learn how an artist thinks , how he is trying to put his thoughts on life .
This book includes a lot of illustrations. I had never heard of W. Kentridge, but after this book, I googled and watched some videos. It boosted my knowledge of Art.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A Natural History of the Studio is a collection of 'lectures' by the artist William Kentridge which blend biography, history and art commentary. The lectures explore aspects of life and politics in South Africa, linked to the pondering of art practice and the studio work that William has created.
This book had a strong start and I found a lot of quotes that I found sparked my interest. One talks about how you can make a self-portrait from objects that you own as they reflect your image in a more abstract way, another talks about landscapes and colonialism. The quote "we are always a collage under construction- talking this fragment, editing out another, consciously or unconsciously" felt like a good insight into how artistic brains work and what was to come later in the book.
This concept of collage and construction is how William frames the artist at work- a curator of scraps and fragments. The beginning of the book positions the artist as a maker of art through many means.
I loved the integration of personal and South African history within the book as it gave more of a face to the words and taught me more about something I had little knowledge about, let alone experience. Seeing glimpses of how some events became ideas for art was interesting and a unique insight into how politics and life experience can affect one's art practice. The quote "it is impossible to think of utopia without invoking its underbelly of violence" was also very profound.
I selected this book as I like another fellow reviewer like to learn about new artists that I haven't heard about before. It's interesting to learn about their history and their art without already knowing about it on a deeper level.
'The Studio' as mentioned in the title is not a topic in the ways I expected it. From the title my preconceptions were that it would be discussed as a tool, a location of performance and creation however the book becomes a lot more abstract after the first two lectures or so. The studio is not literal- it is linked more to the reflections of the artist in a vague way rather than a direct commentary of the practice of the studio. This was a lot clearer after finishing the book and flicking through it again but was a bit confusing at the time.
Sometimes the work was a bit too abstract for me and I found myself trying to work out the relevance of the anecdote to the lecture and the lecture to the studio and got confused often. I think this is what affected my reading of the book.
I think that it may have been easier to engage with for me if it followed a similar structure to an essay with each 'lecture'- an introduction, the main writings and some sort of link to the studio or conclusion style ending as the titles also aren't a clear giveaway to the meaning of the chapters. I think the style of writing was a bit hard to follow without a clear understanding of what the general meaning of each section was supposed to be and what to take from it and hindered the valuable comments within the work.
I really liked learning about the personal and South African history- especially with my little knowledge on both. Seeing glimpses of how politics and life created ideas for artwork was interesting and I think the writer would enjoy an autobiographical project if not done already as some parts of the book read like that style of writing with the added insight and philosophy on politics and the unique spin of being able to say "this is what I created as a result of this/this is the artwork I produced at that time" alongside personal and wider history could be a unique selling point!
This book had a strong start and I found a lot of quotes that I found sparked my interest. One talks about how you can make a self-portrait from objects that you own as they reflect your image in a more abstract way, another talks about landscapes and colonialism. The quote "we are always a collage under construction- talking this fragment, editing out another, consciously or unconsciously" felt like a good insight into how artistic brains work and what was to come later in the book.
This concept of collage and construction is how William frames the artist at work- a curator of scraps and fragments. The beginning of the book positions the artist as a maker of art through many means.
I loved the integration of personal and South African history within the book as it gave more of a face to the words and taught me more about something I had little knowledge about, let alone experience. Seeing glimpses of how some events became ideas for art was interesting and a unique insight into how politics and life experience can affect one's art practice. The quote "it is impossible to think of utopia without invoking its underbelly of violence" was also very profound.
I selected this book as I like another fellow reviewer like to learn about new artists that I haven't heard about before. It's interesting to learn about their history and their art without already knowing about it on a deeper level.
'The Studio' as mentioned in the title is not a topic in the ways I expected it. From the title my preconceptions were that it would be discussed as a tool, a location of performance and creation however the book becomes a lot more abstract after the first two lectures or so. The studio is not literal- it is linked more to the reflections of the artist in a vague way rather than a direct commentary of the practice of the studio. This was a lot clearer after finishing the book and flicking through it again but was a bit confusing at the time.
Sometimes the work was a bit too abstract for me and I found myself trying to work out the relevance of the anecdote to the lecture and the lecture to the studio and got confused often. I think this is what affected my reading of the book.
I think that it may have been easier to engage with for me if it followed a similar structure to an essay with each 'lecture'- an introduction, the main writings and some sort of link to the studio or conclusion style ending as the titles also aren't a clear giveaway to the meaning of the chapters. I think the style of writing was a bit hard to follow without a clear understanding of what the general meaning of each section was supposed to be and what to take from it and hindered the valuable comments within the work.
I really liked learning about the personal and South African history- especially with my little knowledge on both. Seeing glimpses of how politics and life created ideas for artwork was interesting and I think the writer would enjoy an autobiographical project if not done already as some parts of the book read like that style of writing with the added insight and philosophy on politics and the unique spin of being able to say "this is what I created as a result of this/this is the artwork I produced at that time" alongside personal and wider history could be a unique selling point!
July 23, 2026
I recently saw a documentary and an exhibit of WIlliam Kentridge's work and wanted to learn more. He is a noted South African artist who combines experimentation, history and political themes to his work. These are essays based on lectures he gave at the prestigious Slade School at the University of Oxford in 2024. These essays cover his reflections and musings on the creative process - and I feel like I gained great insights into the mind of this great artist. His art can be very playful and so it was great to learn about how he thinks about art and how he tries different approaches in creating. A very interesting read!
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic | Grove Press for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic | Grove Press for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I always like reading books about artist that I am unfamiliar with. I believe this book went way over my head. I thought this would be a traditional format of writing about the artist's process in the studio, but it was not.....at least not in the literal way. This book is actually written in a stream of consciousness. This was really hard for me to get through but once I figured out this was the format, I started to understand it a little better.
The was a free ARC from NetGalley
The was a free ARC from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A thoroughly engaging view of the artistic processes of one our greatest living artists, and it's nice to see that he comes across as a very decent bloke. I cherished a vision of an ursine Kentridge, pombling up to the lectern at All Soul's College, Oxford to deliver these lectures, for all the world looking like his image from his multimedia installations.
May 24, 2026
This was a unique stream of consciousness style writing about someone I knew nothing about. I think that kind of made it a little more interesting to me because I had no preconceived perceptions and went in totally blind, only knowing what little the synopsis shares. I feel like I was unable to grasp it in full and may take a 2nd read, but maybe in a few months. I also love the pictures of art shared in the book!
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Goodreads for the gifted copy!
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Goodreads for the gifted copy!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews