Recent decades have seen the emergence of a plethora of corporate South
African art collections, mostly as an investment (financially and PR-wise)
or as an adornment for their directors offices.
The prestigious collection found its unlikely origin in, of all things,
road-safety advertising.
In the late Sixties the company was focusing its promotional material on a
road-safety campaign. The then-chairman, Dr Andreas Wassenaar, was struck by
the imagery and suggested an annual calendar of artworks. One thing led to
another and the company began buying art, from the outset employing expert
advice on its selections.
Impetus was added in 1988 when, in a last-minute rescue of Afrikana art,
chairman Dr Fred du Plessis stepped in and spent the then-princely sum of
R1,4-million to buy a set of six landscapes by the great traveller/artist
Thomas Baines, which were otherwise destined for the United States.
The following year the collection more than trebled in size, thanks to the
purchase of the entire treasure trove in the collection of Dr Helmut
Silberberg.
Since then it has continued to expand, with acquisitions bought with funds
from an annual budget allocation. The selection is eclectic and not
restricted to investment artworks - in fact, a recent addition was by a
Queenstown council worker whose artistic career germinated from his days of
painting the numbers on township houses.
Today the collection is conservatively valued at around R20-milllion. But
thats missing the point - its not for sale! We do not trade in art, says
curator Stefan Hundt. Our function is to selectively maintain and preserve
a legacy of indigenous South African art - and share it with the public.
And share it they do! The beautifully-appointed gallery is constantly
exhibiting works, not only from the collection, but also occasionally by
guest artists, to afford them the public exposure they would otherwise lack.
Various tours have also been undertaken and works are loaned to other
galleries and exhibitions.
But our aim is not only to let the people see the art, it is also to
constantly develop our collection of both old and new art, and, at the same
time, encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, says Hundt.
To the former end this involves regular purchases after scouring the
countrys auction halls. Many of the works are by black artists, but this is
by no means an attempt at political appeasement. The collection has been
gathering black art since its inception and its been a good investment.
The contribution by black artists has traditionally been undervalued and it
is only now that the market is coming into its own in terms of monetary
worth, says Hundt.
To encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, he has embarked
on a programme of wide diversity, and occasional mild controversy, in the
exhibitions at the gallery.
Occasionally this has involved community-related issues, the most recent
being the Sanlam backing of the Cape Times One City - Many Cultures
project, which included a photographic exhibition at the gallery.
The Sanlam art collection has, indeed, come a long way since being spawned
by a road safety advertising campaign.
The Sanlam Art Gallery, at the companys headquarters at 2 Strand Road,
Bellville, is open to the public for exhibitions throughout the year, from
08:45 to 16:30 on weekdays
Image by Harry Trevor (1922 -
1970) Oil on canvas.
Article written by Jon Hellberg>Amidst this maelstrom of one-upmanship there resides one collection which is
unique in several ways - it only buys South African, it buys for keeps, and
its works are constantly available for free public viewing.
The Sanlam art collection, housed at the companys headquarters in
Bellville, near Cape Town, comprises one of the largest selections of works
by SA artists. More than 1 300 artworks, ranging from paintings through
etchings to sculptures, are housed in the hermetically-sealed vaults
dwelling in the labyrithine corridors beneath the frenetic office floors.
The prestigious collection found its unlikely origin in, of all things,
road-safety advertising.
In the late Sixties the company was focusing its promotional material on a
road-safety campaign. The then-chairman, Dr Andreas Wassenaar, was struck by
the imagery and suggested an annual calendar of artworks. One thing led to
another and the company began buying art, from the outset employing expert
advice on its selections.
Impetus was added in 1988 when, in a last-minute rescue of Afrikana art,
chairman Dr Fred du Plessis stepped in and spent the then-princely sum of
R1,4-million to buy a set of six landscapes by the great traveller/artist
Thomas Baines, which were otherwise destined for the United States.
The following year the collection more than trebled in size, thanks to the
purchase of the entire treasure trove in the collection of Dr Helmut
Silberberg.
Since then it has continued to expand, with acquisitions bought with funds
from an annual budget allocation. The selection is eclectic and not
restricted to investment artworks - in fact, a recent addition was by a
Queenstown council worker whose artistic career germinated from his days of
painting the numbers on township houses.
Today the collection is conservatively valued at around R20-milllion. But
thats missing the point - its not for sale! We do not trade in art, says
curator Stefan Hundt. Our function is to selectively maintain and preserve
a legacy of indigenous South African art - and share it with the public.
And share it they do! The beautifully-appointed gallery is constantly
exhibiting works, not only from the collection, but also occasionally by
guest artists, to afford them the public exposure they would otherwise lack.
Various tours have also been undertaken and works are loaned to other
galleries and exhibitions.
But our aim is not only to let the people see the art, it is also to
constantly develop our collection of both old and new art, and, at the same
time, encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, says Hundt.
To the former end this involves regular purchases after scouring the
countrys auction halls. Many of the works are by black artists, but this is
by no means an attempt at political appeasement. The collection has been
gathering black art since its inception and its been a good investment.
The contribution by black artists has traditionally been undervalued and it
is only now that the market is coming into its own in terms of monetary
worth, says Hundt.
To encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, he has embarked
on a programme of wide diversity, and occasional mild controversy, in the
exhibitions at the gallery.
Occasionally this has involved community-related issues, the most recent
being the Sanlam backing of the Cape Times One City - Many Cultures
project, which included a photographic exhibition at the gallery.
The Sanlam art collection has, indeed, come a long way since being spawned
by a road safety advertising campaign.
The Sanlam Art Gallery, at the companys headquarters at 2 Strand Road,
Bellville, is open to the public for exhibitions throughout the year, from
08:45 to 16:30 on weekdays
Image by Harry Trevor (1922 -
1970) Oil on canvas.
Article written by Jon Hellberg>The Sanlam art collection, housed at the companys headquarters in
Bellville, near Cape Town, comprises one of the largest selections of works
by SA artists. More than 1 300 artworks, ranging from paintings through
etchings to sculptures, are housed in the hermetically-sealed vaults
dwelling in the labyrithine corridors beneath the frenetic office floors.
The prestigious collection found its unlikely origin in, of all things,
road-safety advertising.
In the late Sixties the company was focusing its promotional material on a
road-safety campaign. The then-chairman, Dr Andreas Wassenaar, was struck by
the imagery and suggested an annual calendar of artworks. One thing led to
another and the company began buying art, from the outset employing expert
advice on its selections.
Impetus was added in 1988 when, in a last-minute rescue of Afrikana art,
chairman Dr Fred du Plessis stepped in and spent the then-princely sum of
R1,4-million to buy a set of six landscapes by the great traveller/artist
Thomas Baines, which were otherwise destined for the United States.
The following year the collection more than trebled in size, thanks to the
purchase of the entire treasure trove in the collection of Dr Helmut
Silberberg.
Since then it has continued to expand, with acquisitions bought with funds
from an annual budget allocation. The selection is eclectic and not
restricted to investment artworks - in fact, a recent addition was by a
Queenstown council worker whose artistic career germinated from his days of
painting the numbers on township houses.
Today the collection is conservatively valued at around R20-milllion. But
thats missing the point - its not for sale! We do not trade in art, says
curator Stefan Hundt. Our function is to selectively maintain and preserve
a legacy of indigenous South African art - and share it with the public.
And share it they do! The beautifully-appointed gallery is constantly
exhibiting works, not only from the collection, but also occasionally by
guest artists, to afford them the public exposure they would otherwise lack.
Various tours have also been undertaken and works are loaned to other
galleries and exhibitions.
But our aim is not only to let the people see the art, it is also to
constantly develop our collection of both old and new art, and, at the same
time, encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, says Hundt.
To the former end this involves regular purchases after scouring the
countrys auction halls. Many of the works are by black artists, but this is
by no means an attempt at political appeasement. The collection has been
gathering black art since its inception and its been a good investment.
The contribution by black artists has traditionally been undervalued and it
is only now that the market is coming into its own in terms of monetary
worth, says Hundt.
To encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, he has embarked
on a programme of wide diversity, and occasional mild controversy, in the
exhibitions at the gallery.
Occasionally this has involved community-related issues, the most recent
being the Sanlam backing of the Cape Times One City - Many Cultures
project, which included a photographic exhibition at the gallery.
The Sanlam art collection has, indeed, come a long way since being spawned
by a road safety advertising campaign.
The Sanlam Art Gallery, at the companys headquarters at 2 Strand Road,
Bellville, is open to the public for exhibitions throughout the year, from
08:45 to 16:30 on weekdays
Image by Harry Trevor (1922 -
1970) Oil on canvas.
Article written by Jon Hellberg>Amidst this maelstrom of one-upmanship there resides one collection which is
unique in several ways - it only buys South African, it buys for keeps, and
its works are constantly available for free public viewing.
The Sanlam art collection, housed at the companys headquarters in
Bellville, near Cape Town, comprises one of the largest selections of works
by SA artists. More than 1 300 artworks, ranging from paintings through
etchings to sculptures, are housed in the hermetically-sealed vaults
dwelling in the labyrithine corridors beneath the frenetic office floors.
The prestigious collection found its unlikely origin in, of all things,
road-safety advertising.
In the late Sixties the company was focusing its promotional material on a
road-safety campaign. The then-chairman, Dr Andreas Wassenaar, was struck by
the imagery and suggested an annual calendar of artworks. One thing led to
another and the company began buying art, from the outset employing expert
advice on its selections.
Impetus was added in 1988 when, in a last-minute rescue of Afrikana art,
chairman Dr Fred du Plessis stepped in and spent the then-princely sum of
R1,4-million to buy a set of six landscapes by the great traveller/artist
Thomas Baines, which were otherwise destined for the United States.
The following year the collection more than trebled in size, thanks to the
purchase of the entire treasure trove in the collection of Dr Helmut
Silberberg.
Since then it has continued to expand, with acquisitions bought with funds
from an annual budget allocation. The selection is eclectic and not
restricted to investment artworks - in fact, a recent addition was by a
Queenstown council worker whose artistic career germinated from his days of
painting the numbers on township houses.
Today the collection is conservatively valued at around R20-milllion. But
thats missing the point - its not for sale! We do not trade in art, says
curator Stefan Hundt. Our function is to selectively maintain and preserve
a legacy of indigenous South African art - and share it with the public.
And share it they do! The beautifully-appointed gallery is constantly
exhibiting works, not only from the collection, but also occasionally by
guest artists, to afford them the public exposure they would otherwise lack.
Various tours have also been undertaken and works are loaned to other
galleries and exhibitions.
But our aim is not only to let the people see the art, it is also to
constantly develop our collection of both old and new art, and, at the same
time, encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, says Hundt.
To the former end this involves regular purchases after scouring the
countrys auction halls. Many of the works are by black artists, but this is
by no means an attempt at political appeasement. The collection has been
gathering black art since its inception and its been a good investment.
The contribution by black artists has traditionally been undervalued and it
is only now that the market is coming into its own in terms of monetary
worth, says Hundt.
To encourage viewers to challenge their own perceptions, he has embarked
on a programme of wide diversity, and occasional mild controversy, in the
exhibitions at the gallery.
Occasionally this has involved community-related issues, the most recent
being the Sanlam backing of the Cape Times One City - Many Cultures
project, which included a photographic exhibition at the gallery.
The Sanlam art collection has, indeed, come a long way since being spawned
by a road safety advertising campaign.
The Sanlam Art Gallery, at the companys headquarters at 2 Strand Road,
Bellville, is open to the public for exhibitions throughout the year, from
08:45 to 16:30 on weekdays
Image by Harry Trevor (1922 -
1970) Oil on canvas.
Article written by Jon Hellberg
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