NEW CULTURALNEW CULTURAL FACILITY FACILITY
In the ruins of Gauteng museums Till sees a phoenix stirring
The Javett-UP Art Centre will focus on the art of Africa, with plans to blow away the image of fusty and neglected galleries, writes Lesley Stones
An art gallery designed to become Africa’s world-class equivalent to the Prado in Madrid or New York’s Metropolitan is under construction at the University of Pretoria. The Javett-UP Art Centre will focus on the art of Africa, with plans to stage events and hold exhibitions to blow away the image of fusty and neglected galleries. At its helm is Christopher Till, who hopes to make the gallery just as unmissable as the spectacularly popular Apartheid Museum, where he is the founding director. It will open in 2018 in a partnership between the university, the Javett Foundation and the Art Centre Foundation, an independent trust. Art galleries designed and funded by the private sector seem to be the way to go in a country in which the government pays art and culture little attention. In February, the Johannesburg Art Gallery was closed due to rain damage, after the building deteriorated under a lack of care and maintenance. The Museum of Africa is also a shambles, with vast empty spaces ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.