Maggie Laubser

Maria Magdalena Laubser (/laʊbˈʃæ/; 14 April 1886 – 17 May 1973) was a South African painter and printmaker. She is generally considered, along with Irma Stern, to be responsible for the introduction of Expressionism to South Africa. Her work was initially met with derision by critics but has gained wide acceptance, and now she is regarded as an exemplary and quintessentially South African artist.

Quotes

• "I still delight in it when people find pleasure in my work. To paint is to reach out, hoping that one will touch. One wants to be understood."
  • Fransen, Hans (1982). Three Centuries of South African Art. Johannesburg: Ad. Donker (Pty) Ltd. pp. 286–292. ISBN 0-86852-012-8., Retrieved 24 March 2025.

Quotes About Her

• "Her brushwork and color choice became more expressive and less consistent with her earlier works, using angular features and colored shapes to both her landscape paintings and portraits."
  • Van Rooyen, Johan (1974). Maggie Laubser. Cape Town: Struik. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
• "She singled out Franz Marc of Der Blaue Reiter and Nolde, Schmidt-Rottluff and Pechstein of Die Brücke as significant to her personality, although she would claim not to have been influenced by them."
  • "Maggie Laubser". AWARE Women artists / Femmes artistes. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
• "Maggie Laubser was often influenced by exotic beauty and her various travels within South Africa. Her portraits of young Indian and African women, in which flower motifs are employed as decorative surrounds, are some of her finest. Comparable works include Young girl with head scarf holding a protea, Pondo woman and Indian girl with poinsettias."
  • Bonhams: Maggie (Maria Magdalena) Laubser (South African, 1886–1973) Annie of the Royal Bafokeng". Retrieved 24 March 2025.