Gordon Froud (b. 1963) is a South African artist, educator, curator, and gallerist, currently serving as Head of the Department of Visual Arts (DoVA) at the University of Johannesburg. With a career spanning over three decades, Froud has been a major influence on both the South African and international art scenes. He holds a BA (Fine Arts) Honours from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master’s degree from the University of Johannesburg, where he leads the Sculpture department as a senior lecturer.
Froud’s practice encompasses sculpture, curatorial work, and arts education. He has participated in hundreds of solo and group exhibitions, curates touring group exhibitions across South Africa, and averages participation in over 20 exhibitions annually, including internationally in Washington D.C., Boone (North Carolina), The Hague, and Paris.
In 2012, Froud was the inaugural Site-Specific Artist in Residence at Plettenberg Bay and returned in 2013 for the Site-Specific Land Art Biennale. His work was featured in a prominent exhibition of South African sculpture in The Hague, where one piece was acquired by the South African Embassy.
Froud’s sculptures have been included in the Heavy Metal outdoor sculpture exhibitions at Nirox Sculpture Park and Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens (2013–2014). His works are held in numerous public and private collections. He curated major exhibitions of South African contemporary art that were displayed at Appalachian State University (North Carolina) and the Beijing Biennale (2015), with subsequent showings at the Pretoria Art Museum and University of Johannesburg Art Gallery.
From April to June 2018, Froud presented the solo exhibition “Harmonia: Sacred Geometry, Pattern of Existence” at the Standard Bank Gallery, featuring over 150 new works. This exhibition toured major galleries and museums throughout 2018 and 2019.
Froud continues to exhibit widely, participating in more than 25 exhibitions each year, while pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Johannesburg, further contributing to the discourse on contemporary South African sculpture and visual arts.
