South African artist William Kentridge (*1955 in Johannesburg) works with a variety of media, such as drawing, sculpture, film, and theater.This publication examines five of the fundamental themes Kentridge examines in his work. Aside from projects that reflect the tensions, conflicts, and transitions in South Africa, the artist’s home, the book also focuses on his most well-known characters, the domineering businessman Soho Eckstein, and his alter ego, Felix Teitlebaum, as well as on his stage designs for productions of Mozart’s Magic Flute and Shostakovich’s The Nose.Kentridge has created a DVD especially for this book. It provides a fascinating look at the artist at work in his studio and includes excerpts from his major film projects. The English edition of this title is published by Yale University Press. Exhibition schedule: Museum of Modern Art, New York, February 24–May 17, 2010| Albertina, Vienna, October 29, 2010–January 30, 2011 | Israel Museum, Jerusalem, March 5–June 18, 2011William Kentridge (*1955 in Johannesburg, South Africa) graduated from the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg with a degree in politics and African Studies in 1976. From 1976 to 1978 he studied printmaking at the Johannesburg Art Foundation. In 1981/82 he took pantomime and acting classes at the École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecog in Paris. His work has been seen in many solo and group shows since the 1980s. Five Themes, for instance, was shown in 2010 at the MoMA in New York, the Jeu de Paume in Paris, and the Albertina in Vienna. Kentridge was a participant in the documenta X (1997) and Documenta11 (2002), and is now represented at the dOCUMENTA (13) (2012). He is the recipient of various prizes, including the 2003 Kaiserring from the City of Goslar, and the 2010 Kyoto Prize for Art and Philosophy. The artist lives and works in Johannesburg.