Biography
From an early age Claude Chandler was immersed in the Durban art world, with both of his parents being talented local artists and prominent figures in the art scene. He grew up in galleries and studios, and was constantly surrounded by artists. At gallery openings he would swoop through the crowd in his batman suit.
At school Claude’s art was controversial and his mother was occasionally called in due to teachers’ concerns about this. Although at school this was a limitation, it served him well later in his career: he was awarded 2nd place in the 2011 KZNSA’s Members' Exhibition for his scatological interpretation of the theme, The Bold and the Beautiful.
His passion for portraiture was cemented when, in 2005, he began a project of painting his teachers at Glenwood High School. This set off his career as he started receiving portrait commissions, as well as developing his own personal identity as an artist and increasing his confidence in his artistic abilities. Claude’s creative journey is rooted in the use of portraiture. His journey continued into his tertiary studies when he decided to study Fine Art at the Durban University of Technology.He participated in numerous exhibitions whilst still at university. He participated in the 2008 Start The Nivea Art Awards, and in the 2010 Sasol New Signatures national Art Competition held at the Pretoria Art Museum . He was a finalist in both these competitions. He was one 25 prominent Durban artists who were selected to take part in the Interpret Durban exhibition. Claude’s interest in teaching art precipitated in his giving private classes in early 2011, as well as teaching for a term as a student educator at Durban Girls’ High School. Now that Claude has graduated, Durban is no longer a muse for him and he has migrated to Cape Town to pursue his creative career.
