Well-known and highly popular prize-winning Durban artist George Msimang has died of pneumonia at the age of 56.

Famous for his evocative images of township scenes as well as his humorous studies of musicians, two of which are hanging in the Playhouse Theatre complex’s Grand Foyer, George Msimang was highly respected and a role model for many up and coming artists.

His works feature in the Durban Art Gallery and Fort Hare University Collections as well as in the Campbell and Jo Thorpe Collections. He received some artistic training at Rorke’s Drift and went on to develop his own style in drawing monoprints and oil pastels.

George Msimang was born in Durban in 1948. Sponsored by the Natal Society of Arts (NSA) and the Italian Consulate, he attended the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome from 1971 to 1972. His awards included prizes from UCLA African Art Magazine (1970) and the Black Artists From Africa Exhibition (1971).