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about the william fehr collection
at the castle of good hope |
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Fine and interesting examples of
paintings and decorative arts of special relevance to the Cape are to
be found in the William Fehr Collection. Contained in the collection is a wealth of
historical information concerning the peoples and landscapes of early
colonial South Africa. It is one of the most important public
collections of artefacts of the period.
The collection is on another level a reflection of the outlook and
aesthetics of one person. William Fehr was born in 1892 in
Burghersdorp, Cape.
A businessman by profession, he cherished a love of pictorial art.
It was in the late 1920s that his attention turned to collecting South
African-related paintings, prints and drawings. He later extended
his interest to furniture and other objects.
William Fehr acquired objects and art works at a time when there were
still few private collectors and little systematic collecting by local
public institutions. He lent his collection for public exhibition at
the Castle in 1952. In 1964 the South African government purchased
his oil paintings, furniture, ceramics metal and glassware. In the
following year he donated his unique collection of art works on paper
to South Africans, to be placed in
Rust en Vreugd, a short distance
away from the Castle. Dr William Fehr died in 1968. |
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