GEORGE NEWS - A unique exhibition featuring a selection of over 70 works from the prestigious Sanlam Art Collection opened at the George Museum on Thursday 3 October.
The exhibition takes Georgians through 100 years of South Africa's transformation. Centennial: A Century of South African Art from the Sanlam Art Collection 1918 - 2018 features some of the country's leading and emerging artists.
Curator Stefan Hundt said it is a once-in-a-lifetime, one-of-a-kind exhibition.
"The exhibition is a way to immerse people in some of the biggest shifts our nation has seen, told by the artists who have advocated for change. Art has played a crucial role in the realisation of a democratic and free South Africa and it's as much a way to negotiate our differences as it is to create a shared vision for our future.
"Wandering through the exhibition is a way to be immersed visually in this journey, from challenging works from past legends like William Kentridge, Elza Botha, Maggie Laubser, Gerard Sekoto, Sydney Kumalo, Ezrom Legae, Gladys Mgudlandlu, Cecil Skotnes and Irma Stern to fresh perspectives from Johannes Maswangani, Adam Letch and Jan van der Merwe."
George Museum manager Laurinda Hakimi (left), Sanlam Art Collection curator Stefan Hundt and Pauline Cloete, a member of Friends of the Museum at a painting by Richard Mudariki, 'The Model'. Hundt highlighted this painting, explaining that Mudariki took a historical colonialist icon, Cecil John Rhodes to explore the theme of decolonisation and the role of visual artists targeted by the #RhodesMustFall movement.
He said the Sanlam Art Collection, established in 1965, is among the most respected in the country and consists of more than 2 000 pieces.
"Usually, corporate collections are inaccessible to the public and hidden in an office environment. From the get-go, Sanlam has consciously prioritised doing the opposite. Art is something for us to share, to challenge us, to take delight in, and educate ourselves. It's a critical part of our history and something we all need to have the opportunity to explore."
The exhibition will be open until 8 November. Viewing times are Mondays to Fridays 09:00 to 16:30, and Saturdays 09:00 to 12:30.
Zululand Landscape by Gerard Bhengu, painted about 1948.
Pieter Hugo Naudé's Cape Malay Quarter, Cape Town painted around 1920.
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