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TThe South African National Gallery houses collections of local as well as pan-African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art. Its collection of beadwork is among the most important in the country, and it also has a significant catalogue of apartheid art.
The South African National Gallery, part of Cape Town's Iziko Museums, features impressive collections ranging from colonial to contemporary art. Its historical and modern overview of art in South Africa makes it a must-see attraction for art lovers from around the world.
Located in the beautiful Company's Gardens, the gallery's permanent collection, which is rotated regularly, is one of the main attractions here. Its over 8 000 artworks feature a variety of paintings, photography, sculpture, beadwork, textiles and works on paper. It is also often supplemented by visiting exhibitions from abroad that explore contemporary themes in interesting and sometimes controversial ways.
The gallery's contemporary collection includes an authoritative catalogue of 1980s apartheid art, as well as art by Dan Halter, Willem Boshoff, Barend de Wet, Kathryn Smith, Alan Davie, Marlene Dumas, Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge, Ronald Kitaj, Michael Porter, Gerard Sekoto, Penny Siopis, Irma Stern and John Walker. The Butcher Boys sculpture by Jane Alexander is among the gallery's best-known modern works.
The gallery has also been involved in the repatriation of artefacts removed from South Africa over the last 200 years. Since 1990 it has acquired work focusing on the different cultures of the African continent. Its respected collection of beadwork and indigenous sculpture is one of the most significant collections in the country.
Founded in 1871 with a donation of 45 paintings by British maritime artist Sir Thomas Butterworth, the main body of the colonial collection consists of Dutch, French and British works from the 17th to the 19th century, including lithographs, etchings and paintings.
Also look out for the teak doors in the courtyard. Known as the Lieberman Doors, they were carved by Herbert Vladimir Meyerowitz and represent the global wanderings of the Jewish people.
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