Jaco Benade was born in the Northern Cape in 1964. He studied Fine Arts at the Pretoria Technicon (TUT). He was a merit award winner at the Sasol New Signature competition in 1994 and since then had several solo exhibitions and group shows.

Benade mainly paints portraits that often contain symbolic objects to reveal something about the people in the paintings. The use of these objects and colour represents an idea and a feeling.