director's message

As stated before, the SANG only has money until 31 March, when we run out of reserves. In order to avoid a catastrophe, we have pulled our belts so tight that we can hardly breathe, staff have had to wait five months before the Department made funds available for salary increases, which were due on 1 July, and we continue to generate and raise money where possible. We acknowledge with gratitude the grants from the City of Cape Town and the Rowland and Leta Hill Trust, which made it possible for the SANG to acquire The Black Christ by Ronald Harrison, as well as the artistÕs willingness to offer the work to this institution at a price which is way below what it would have fetched abroad (see p 9). While the response to the ÔSave the SANGÕ drive, spearheaded by Zonnebloem Wines, has been disappointing, we have received a substantial donation from Linda Givon, and smaller amounts from the Association for Visual Arts, Andrew Ovenstone and Georgina Lawrence and her group in Elgin. A percentage of sales from Rose KorberÕs 1998 Salon will also be donated to the SANG.

The private sector has been slow in following Zonnebloem Wines' example (we are told that there is but a small pool of potential benefactors to which every artform is turning), but the media have provided unstinting support and coverage, and a magnificent presentation has come from an artist. Willie Bester, wishing to show his commitment to, and affirm the importance of the national art museum in our society, has donated a major work, Head North to the SANG (see p.11). We are deeply grateful for this gesture and extraordinary generosity; it is a source of inspiration at a time when there is a strong sense that museums have all but been abandoned by the authorities. We thank the Scan Shop for paying for the transport of Head North to the Gallery.

Lack of adequate security is but one of the effects of inadequate funding, and the potential threat to our collection has been referred to on many occasions. Our vulnerability was brought forcefully and painfully to the fore on Saturday 3 October when a painting by Walter Sickert, Royal Hotel, Dieppe, was stolen. A small but extremely valuable work (valued between £15,000 Ð £20,000; R150,000 Ð R200,000), which was screwed to the wall, was removed by a habitual criminal who now faces a jail sentence between 7 and 15 years. The person who allegedly bought the painting from him, is out on bail and will appear in court in January. While our electronic security is neither sophisticated nor pervasive enough, our staff did not fail the institution. Lucy Williams, Security Attendant on duty at reception on that Saturday morning, noticed that the thief was concealing something under his jacket when he stopped at the desk on his way out. As he left, she alerted the Security Supervisor, Shamiel Fakir, who gave chase and picked up the sheath of the knife the person dropped and which put the police on his trail immediately. Lucy's commendable vigilance, coupled with the images captured by the closed circuit television, the interest and coverage by the media and information received from members of the public, led to arrest of the thief. We fervently hope that the work will be recovered and returned. During these hard times, it is increasingly difficult to convince the authorities, governing bodies, staff and the public that entrance to the national art collection should be free to all. We compensate for this by hiring the main building, Annexe and Natale Labia Museum for special functions, charging for parking and through the donations box at the entrance. Visitors will now find a pamphlet at reception detailing the costs involved in running the institution, and asking for donations. We appeal to those who can afford to respond to this request. But pressure to charge an entrance fee is mounting and I was delighted (and relieved) to discover that there is at least one other museum director of a national institution who shares my conviction. Neil MacGregor, director of the National Gallery in London, is holding firm to the notions of public ownership and public access. In an article in Time (5 October 1998), he argues strongly for free admission, even as public purse strings in Britain are tightening. He insists on the therapeutic and educational role that works of art play, for they offer peace and windows onto other worlds. Inhibiting the public's ability to enter art museums at will and engage with the collections, undermines their very purpose: 'They are no more a luxury in modern life than literacy'; a powerful statement indeed from a director who receives an annual government grant of £18 million ($30m, R169m). This covers only 50% of the National Gallery's expenditures, to care for a collection of 2000 pictures. The rest is raised through corporate sponsorship, philanthropy and deploying a huge endowment from J Paul Getty Jr. The SANG collection comprises 8000 objects, we received R3.9 million from government this year, and our expenditure is R5.2 million. Free admission remains crucial, particularly in the South African context, and I shall continue to protect and defend this basic right.

Peace-Uxolo-Vrede
Marilyn Martin

Ronald Harrison, The Black Christ, oil on canvas, 1962