Madness Around William Kentridge: Why This South African Art Legend Still Owns the Game
26.01.2026 - 12:54:44
You scroll past a charcoal drawing on your feed. Then it moves. It becomes a film, a protest, a memory. That is William Kentridge – and the art world still cannot get enough.
If you care about power, history, and images that hit you in the gut, this is one of those names you simply have to know. Not niche, not new, but still insanely relevant – and very much a blue-chip, Big Money favorite.
So: genius, overhyped, or a must-see before your friends flex it on their Stories first? Let’s dive in.
The Internet is Obsessed: William Kentridge on TikTok & Co.
On social, Kentridge is not the loud, neon, selfie-wall kind of artist. His world is black-and-white charcoal, stop-motion animation, ripped paper, marching figures. It is messy, layered, and feels like you are scrolling through someone’s memory – or a country’s trauma.
Clips from his big shows pop up on feeds: entire rooms wrapped in drawings, film projections flooding the walls, old-school projectors, music, performers walking through the space. It is not just something you look at – it is something you kind of walk inside.
That mix of old-school craft and cinematic drama makes his work incredibly clip-able. Slow, analogue movements – but perfect for dramatic edits, political captions and moody soundtracks.
Want to see the art in action? Check out the hype here:
Search reactions and you will see it all: people calling him a genius storyteller, others saying it is too dark or heavy, some wondering if charcoal scribbles should really go for that kind of money. Exactly the kind of split that keeps an artist viral.
Masterpieces & Scandals: What you need to know
Kentridge has been building his universe for decades. It is huge, complex – but here are a few key works you will see again and again in any serious convo about him:
- The Soho Eckstein & Felix Teitelbaum Films
These are the cult series that made Kentridge an international name. Shot frame by frame from charcoal drawings he drew, erased, and redrew on the same sheet, they follow two recurring figures: Soho Eckstein, a ruthless businessman in a suit, and Felix Teitelbaum, a more vulnerable, dreamy alter ego. Set against the backdrop of apartheid South Africa, they mix desire, guilt and politics. Visually, they feel like watching a sketchbook come alive, every erased line still ghosting under the new image. - Drawings for Projection
This long-running project is basically Kentridge’s signature format: hand-drawn animation made from evolving charcoal drawings. The look: dirty, grainy, emotional. Buildings crumble, machines move, people march – all in a flickering, unstable world where nothing seems fixed. Museums love to project these films huge in dark rooms, turning them into immersive, must-see installations that feel built for deep scrolling and slow watching. - Triumphs and Laments
One of his most spectacular public projects: a monumental procession of shadowy figures along a river embankment in Rome, created by washing away pollution to leave giant, ghost-like silhouettes on the stone walls. It stages history like a moving frieze: refugees, soldiers, heroes, victims all compressed into one continuous image. It is graffiti, memorial, and performance in one – the kind of project that blows up on social because it is political, cinematic, and insanely photogenic.
And this is only the tip of his portfolio. There are also opera productions, huge multi-screen installations, and live theatre performances that extend his drawing style into full-on stage experiences.
Scandals? Nothing tabloid-level. Instead, the ongoing debate is about representation, politics, and who gets to tell which history. His work constantly circles heavy themes: colonialism, apartheid, migration, violence. So, discourse – yes. Outrage headlines – not really.
The Price Tag: What is the art worth?
Here is where it gets serious. William Kentridge is not just a critic’s darling. He is a fully established blue-chip artist collected by major museums worldwide and traded at top auction houses.
On the market, his large-scale works, especially major drawings and important film-related pieces, have reached high value territory at auction. Publicly reported results from big-name houses show his top lots going for serious Top Dollar, confirming what insiders have known for years: this is not emerging hype; this is museum-level, long-term market confidence.
Editioned prints and smaller works still cost plenty, but they are the entry point many younger collectors look at if they want a piece of that Kentridge aura without competing with institutions.
Why the confidence? Because the career arc is rock solid:
- Born in Johannesburg, raised in the shadow of apartheid, he channels personal and national history into his art.
- He broke through globally with his intense charcoal animations that felt radically different from the slick digital aesthetics of the time.
- He has shown at the world’s major biennials and museums, been featured in big retrospective exhibitions, and is represented by heavyweight galleries like Marian Goodman, a classic sign of Blue Chip status.
- His works live in top museum collections worldwide, which anchors his value far beyond short-term trend cycles.
For collectors, that track record is the dream combo: strong narrative + recognisable visual language + institutional backing + proven auction demand. Translation: not a meme-artist spike, but a long game.
See it Live: Exhibitions & Dates
Want to move from scrolling to standing in front of the real thing? Smart move. Kentridge’s work hits completely differently IRL: you hear the sound, feel the scale, and watch images appear and disappear in real time.
Currently, he keeps a regular presence in important museums and galleries. Specific upcoming exhibition dates can shift and are often announced directly through official channels. If you do not see fresh listings when you search, assume No current dates available are publicly confirmed yet rather than that he has gone quiet.
Here is how to stay on top of live shows and new projects:
- Marian Goodman Gallery
This is one of his key international gallery partners. They regularly present major solo shows, installations and fair presentations. Their artist page features works, past exhibitions and news updates. Check it here:
https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/william-kentridge - Official artist / studio info
For upcoming projects, performances, touring installations or opera collaborations, your best bet is to follow the official channels, newsletters, or studio announcements via {MANUFACTURER_URL}. That is where new commissions and large-scale projects are generally teased first. - Museum calendars
Major contemporary art museums often host Kentridge retrospectives, film cycles or installations. Use their search functions and type "William Kentridge" to see if anything is on the horizon. If nothing pops up, again: No current dates available that are publicly listed – keep checking.
Tip: if you spot a Kentridge work tucked inside a group show, do not rush past it. Take a few minutes to let the animation or drawing unfold. His pieces reward slow looking way more than a quick snap.
The Verdict: Hype or Legit?
If you are into glossy, colorful, quick-hit wall candy, Kentridge may not be your first swipe-right. His thing is slow thinking visuals: charcoal dust, erasures, history, power, memory. No neon slogans, no instant dopamine, more like a film you remember for weeks.
But that is exactly why he has become one of the most important artists of his generation. He has a distinctive signature style that you can recognise in a second, but it is tied to big questions: Who gets to write history? Whose stories are visible? What do violence and power do to a body, a city, a country?
From an art-hype angle, he is pure gold: the kind of name you will see on museum banners, in art memes about "serious" artists, and on the walls of people who care about substance as much as status.
From a market angle, he is not a quick flip. He is a long-term, blue-chip presence whose prices reflect decades of work and a deep footprint in institutions. When you hear about his pieces going for Top Dollar at major auctions, that is the ecosystem confirming he is canon-level, not a micro-trend.
So, is William Kentridge hype or legit? Very clearly: legit – with a side of enduring Art Hype. If you are building your mental list of artists who actually matter, he belongs on it. If you are just discovering him now, you are not late – you are catching up to the people who have been paying attention for years.
Next move? Watch a full film on YouTube, scroll the TikToks for behind-the-scenes vibes, then hit a live show when you can. Because some histories deserve more than a like – they deserve your time.
