SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL GALLERY

Description

Essentials about the South African National Gallery in brief

The South African National Gallery is the national art gallery of South Africa and the country’s most important art museum. Located at Company’s Garden in the center of Cape Town, the National Gallery’s collection includes a considerable body of South African, African and European art.

The collection of the South African National Gallery

Works of art have been exhibited here since 1871. The collection began with the donation of the private gallery of Sir Thomas Butterworth Bayley. Several other patrons have also contributed over the years – they are to thank for much of the foreign art, which today consists mainly of works by British, French, Dutch and Flemish artists from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Among the exhibits are lithographs, copperplate engravings and also some paintings from the early 20th century. Many works reflect the turbulent and often painful history of South Africa.

Furthermore, selected contemporary art is exhibited. Particularly in recent years, there has been a focus on indigenous works, especially sculptures and beadwork. Attempts are also made to repatriate works that are currently abroad. Special emphasis is also placed on filling the “artistic gap” created by the apartheid era by assembling a collection of African exhibits.