Irma Stern art at museum

GEORGE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - Works by the incredibly talented South African artist Irma Stern form part of the Sanlam Art Exhibit on display at the George Museum until end November. It is not often that we come face to face with the greats in South Africa's art world.

"The current once-in-a-lifetime exhibition has caused quite a sensation in the Sayers Art Gallery of the Museum," says Maura St.John, chairman of the local art society Scava.

She has noticed that the number of visitors to the gallery has increased, with abounding interest in not only the artworks themselves, but in the history or story behind each work. Because of its uniqueness and the extraordinary opportunity to have such a prestigious art exhibition in our city, members of Scava volunteered to be on hand to do conducted walk-throughs or provide more information to visiting art lovers.

St.John especially highlights the sculptural pieces that form part of the exhibition. All too often sculpture is overshadowed by paintings and therefore needs more exposure. There are 20 stunningly imaginative pieces in bronze, paper and wood.

Each piece of sculpture was especially chosen by Sanlam to make a statement, to give a timeline or to track the path of innovations in this medium since 1950. Some have clearly been influenced by such internationally famous sculptors as Henry Moore of the UK or the Italian artist / sculptor Giacometti.

Flowers by Irma Stern, painted in 1949.

The exhibition also features two surprising media pieces that warrant a personal visit. St.John encourages the public to come and enjoy this new modern art form first-hand.

One special modern work made by Eliza Botha in 1982, made of wood, perspex and paper and titled Butterfly Box, names all the"butterflies" who were either banned or in detention throughout our turbulent history.

This is a most interesting must-see. Another wonderful artwork called Beauty Bar, by Leora Farber, takes the viewer back to the days when all ladies owned a vanity case and transported their beauty products from place to place.

Sculpture: Untitled by Johan van Heerden, created in 1979.