b. 2 October 1894, Schweizer Reneke, Transvaal, South Africa | d. 1966 Lived and worked in Cape Town, South Africa Irma Analize Stern was a pioneering South African painter celebrated for infusing European Expressionism with rich African sensibilities. Born into a German Jewish family deeply influenced by travels between South Africa and Germany, she trained in Weimar and Berlin, studying under members of the Novembergruppe including her mentor Max Pechstein, and held her first exhibition in Berlin in 1919. Returning to Cape Town in 1920, her bold artistic language, characterized by vibrant color, expressive forms, and a fearless engagement with cultural identity, initially met with local skepticism but later gained acclaim as foundational in South African modern art. Stern’s oeuvre spans portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and ceramics, often featuring African figures, tribal motifs, and artifacts drawn from her journeys to places such as Zanzibar and the Congo. Over her lifetime she held nearly 100 solo exhibitions across South Africa and Europe and was recognized with national and international awards, including the Guggenheim Foundation's national award for South Africa. After her death in 1966, her residence in Cape Town, known as The Firs, was transformed into the Irma Stern Museum, preserving her legacy and extensive collections for public appreciation. Today, Stern is regarded as a cultural icon whose bold, expressive style and championing of African subjects reshaped the visual language of South African art and continues to inspire worldwide.