As a Human Rights Lawyer Pieter Cronje had the opportunity to travel to approximately 89 countries.

He mostly paints social commentary on relevant issues that impact on the people and places that he visits.

Although he mostly paints in his studio in South Africa, he is also an avid painter on busses, airplanes and small hotels in crazy countries where he works and where people tend to commit serious human rights violations such as civil wars, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, forest and wildlife crimes and violence against women and children. These are all topics that inspire him to paint and provide social commentary.

During his university studies and years of military service he started painting more extensively. He started studying History of Art during his military service. When he started working as a human rights lawyer he gradually stopped painting. After more than seventeen years he started painting again.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Human Rights Law. Worked for thirteen years in the South African Police Service where he started the Human Rights Unit after the first democratic elections in 1994. He also worked as a prosecutor, lawyer and was in the Military for more than two years where he worked as a military law officer. Since February 2001 he has been working as an Independent International Human Rights and training consultant where he was involved in training and development of training material in the field of Human Rights and Law Enforcement, Trafficking in Persons, Election Training, Community Policing, Human Rights and Business, Police Response to Violence against Women and Children and training of trainers focusing on the training of government officials including police, prison officials, prosecutors, security officers and trainers, in more than 86 countries including Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, South Pacific and Asia.

Artist CV

Born 17 May 1961 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Education

Masters in Law (LLM), Subjects: Human Rights Law, Environmental Law, International Economic Law, International law, University of South Africa, 1995

LLB, Potchefstroom University, South Africa, 1985

B Juris (SA), Potchefstroom University, South Africa, 1983

History of art 1 + 2, UNISA

Awards

1983: First and Second place, painting division, KUESTA National Arts Festival, Bloemfontein

1988: Merit Award (Painting) SASOL New Signatures exhibition, SAAA (NTvl), Pretoria

Exhibitions

2018: 19 July 2018: Pop up exhibition with Quintus Smit: Pretoria South Africa

2019: August 2019: Took part in a group exhibition: How small can you go: Miniatures, Art Box gallery, Pretoria, South Africa

2019: December 2019: Solo Exhibition: Johan van Heerden Gallery, Pretoria South Africa

2020: Secret art Society: Group Exhibition with

2022: Solo Exhibition: Art Box, Pretoria, South Africa

2022: January 2022: Group Exhibition: Postcards from the edge, Johan van Heerden Gallery, Pretoria South Africa

Collections

He has paintings in private collections in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Indonesia, Kenya, Palestine, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America.