Lucas Ted Sithole

Lucas Sithole

Born: 15 November 1931
Died: 8 May 1994
Updated: 23 Aug 2019

Lucas Ted Sithole portrait — Lucas Sithole

Summary

South African sculptor hailed by some critics as Africa’s major Black sculptor

Lucas Sithole was born and grew up in KwaThema, Springs, Transvaal (now Gauteng). He was one of ten sons of a Zulu lay priest in the Zion Christian Church, Richard Ndlala Sithole, and a Swazi mother whose name could not be ascertained. His given Zulu name was Ncane meaning “small”. He disliked that name and called himself Ted or Teddy, a name reflected in the signature of one of his very early works. Later he was also known as Lucas Thandokwazi Sithole. From the age of six he lived with his Swazi grandmother, Tsayi Numvumi, who was of royal blood and was a famous potter.

How we know this

01Haenggi, F.F. (1979). Lucas Sithole: a pictorial review of Africa’s major Black sculptor, Johannesburg: Gallery 21
02Martin, M. (1993). “Lucas Sithole”. Our art 4 = Ons kuns 4, Pretoria: Foundation for Education, Science and technology, pp. 178-185.
03Rankin, E. (1989). Images of Wood: aspects of the history of sculpture in 20th-century South Africa, Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery, p. 165.
04http://www.sithole.com/default.htm
05Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Lucas_Sithole

Last updated · 23 Aug 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, February 17). Lucas Ted Sithole. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0009074

South African History Online (2011) 'Lucas Ted Sithole', South African History Online, 17 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0009074 (Accessed: 23 July 2026).

South African History Online, Lucas Ted Sithole [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0009074, (accessed 23 July 2026).

"Lucas Ted Sithole." South African History Online, 17 Feb. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0009074. Accessed 23 July 2026.

South African History Online. "Lucas Ted Sithole." South African History Online. February 17, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0009074.