Biography
GREGOIRE BOONZAIER’S PROFILE IN  WHO’S WHO in South Africa can be consulted, but does contain some inaccuracies and is incomplete. This also applies to every other website's biographical data about the artist.

1909 - Born into an art environment on 31 July; 5th child of cousins D.C. BOONZAIER (POLITICAL CARTOONIST, art connoisseur and theatre critic) and Maria Elizabeth (NOOY) BOONZAIER (DIARIST of research interest).
1915 - Begins to draw “seriously” and to paint in watercolour. Would receive various art prizes while at school. ARTIST PIETER WENNING becomes a family friend and regular visitor.
1921 - WENNING writes last death-bed letter to NOOY BOONZAIER
(in family possession) when Gregoire is still at primary school.
1923 - SCULPTOR MOSES KOTTLER buys Gregoire a paint box with oil tubes and brushes. He immediately signs GREGOIRE, not Boonzaier as DC does on his cartoons and weekend painting efforts. The first successful works of a year later are remarkably mature enough for his critical father to decide to exhibit.
1926 - PAINTER NITA SPILHAUS gives Gregoire an easel, repaired decades later by son Emile (still in family possession).

1928 - Although collectors have been buying works by Gregoire (matriculated by now) from galleries awhile, the first of his solo exhibitions at Ashbey is arranged by his father. Others soon follow, at Darter in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Derry and Lezard in Johannesburg, his father giving Gregoire an allowance and keeping the lion’s share of the proceeds for himself. HAGUE SCHOOL influence is evident in both Wenning’s and young Gregoire’s depictions of the Cape atmosphere, but any discerning viewer would notice how their applications differ.