Cecil Kenneth Baker

Cecil Kenneth Baker (1921 – November 1996 ) was a South African artist.

Biography

Baker was born at Harfield Road, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa, which was, at the time of his birth, a predominantly working class suburb.

It appears that he received very few years of formal schooling, and was self-taught as an artist, a storyteller, and they had four children. Joan describes the tension between the economic demands of raising a family and his desire to be a full-time artist. One of his earlier known employments was as a sign-writer in the Cape docks, a setting where he undoubtedly received some inspiration for the subjects of his paintings.

He enjoyed some renown during his life, holding one-man and group exhibitions, Baker is recognised as one of the relative few who captured something of the spirit of District Six in a creative medium.