South Africa's preeminent contemporary artist, William Kentridge works in various mediums but is best known for his short, lyrical animated films, which show charcoal drawings in various states of composition and erasure. Born and based in Johannesburg, he often draws on personal experience in constructing narratives of life under apartheid.

Prior to his international renown as a visual artist, Kentridge was best known for his work in avant-garde theater. He continues to work in the performing arts, often to great acclaim: in 2010, he directed a new production of Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose at the Metropolitan Opera, which was widely praised by critics.

Kentridge has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, including the traveling retrospective William Kentridge: Five Themes, which appeared at venues including the Museum of Modern Art (2010), the Jeu de Paume in Paris (2010), the Albertina Museum in Vienna (2010), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2009). His work has also been exhibited in major international shows such as Documenta 11 (2002) and Documenta 10 (1997), and the Venice Biennale in 2005, 1999, and 1993.