William Fehr Collection at the Castle of Good Hope

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.

Enquiries

Esther Esmyol
Tel: +27 (0)21 467 7205