Moses Kottler, A leading South African sculptor of his time, is born

Moses Kottler was born in Joniskis, Lithuania. Sources differ as to the date of his birth; some give it as 11 June 1892, others as 1896. Kottler studied art in Jerusalem and later in Munich, Paris and London. He settled in South Africa in 1915 and began making a name for himself as a sculptor. Kottler was a member of the New Group. The organisation's aim was, among other things, to bring artists and craftsmen together in order to raise the quality of South African art, to help artists in financial difficulty and to hold exhibitions all over the country. Kottler was also a long-time member or the advisory committee of the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Together with Anton van Wouw and Lippy Lipshitz, Kottler is seen as a leading South Africa sculptor of this time.