Art galleries
The visual arts have a rich history in South Africa, and the contemporary art scene
is no less exciting. From the traditional artefacts of the country's oldest cultures
through to the cutting-edge work of current practitioners, there is much to be seen and appreciated in our art museums and galleries.
The country's flagship institution is of course the South African National Gallery,
situated in the scenic Company Gardens on Government Avenue in central Cape
Town. The gallery falls under the umbrella of Iziko Museums of Cape Town, as do
the historical Michaelis, William Fehr and Natale Labia collections. The National
Gallery's permanent collection spans the colonial to the contemporary, with its first
works acquired in 1871.
The gallery's lack of traditional, pre-colonial work is a consequence of the apartheid era and a subsequent lack of state and civic funding available to redress the balance.
These are problems that afflict the majority of the
country's national
museums, although corporate collections, such as Standard Bank's African art
collection, held at the University of the Witwatersrand, go some way towards filling
the gap.
The inadequacy of state funding continues to have an impact of South
Africa's national collections, however, as important contemporary works are
snapped up by private collectors and often leave the country.
In the major cities, regional galleries - the Durban Art Gallery in KwaZulu-Natal, the
Johannesburg Art Gallery in Gauteng, the King George VI Gallery in Port Elizabeth in
the Eastern Cape - showcase collections of indigenous, historical and contemporary works from the respective provinces.
The universities also play an important role in acquiring works of national interest, with substantial collections housed at the Gertrude Posel Gallery at Wits and the University of South Africa (Unisa) gallery in Pretoria, for example. There are also several corporate
collections of national interest, including those of Standard and Absa banks and the MTN cellular phone network.
Then there is a plethora of commercial and non-commercial galleries, clustered
mainly in the major cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Many of these
host solo and curated group exhibitions that change often on a monthly basis.
The most important is no doubt the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, run by the
notable art dealer Linda Givon, whose stable includes many of the South African
artists who are making an impact on the international art scene - William Kentridge, Kay Hassan, Kendell Geers, Willie Bester, Sue Williamson, Zwelethu Mthethwa and David Goldblatt, among others.
There are also numerous galleries selling works at more, or less, affordable prices by the many artists currently working in diverse media and reflecting varied concerns.
The following listings by province give an indication of the wealth of artistic riches
located within the borders of our country. Many of the national and provincial
museums are also showcased on Museums.org.za.
For details of changing exhibitions, see Artthrob, or consult entertainment pages of the newspapers or news web sites.
Source: South African Tourism
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