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CURATOR'S PREFACE
To my mind, great works can only be born within the history of their art and as participants in that history. It is only inside history that we can see what is new and what is repetitive, what is discovery and what is imitation; in other words, only inside history can a work exist as a value capable of being discerned and judged. Nothing seems to me worse for art than to fall outside its own history, for it is a fall into the chaos where aesthetic values can no longer be perceived.Milan Kundera, Testaments Betrayed, London: Faber and Faber, p. 18. Translated by Linda Asher (Kundera's italics).
'Contemporary South African Art 1985 – 1995 from the South African National Gallery Permanent Collection' encompasses works of art which were made, acquired and are being exhibited at a particular time in our history. As such they are testaments to how we as individuals, as a nation and as a national institution have experienced, perceived and understood that period. Furthermore, these works of art, the exhibition and the related publications all bear evidence of how we act as participants in that history. For these reasons we need to pay serious attention to the ways in which we reflect that history. In time, the exhibition and texts remain as instruments with the power to shape or betray history.
This exhibition was born within the history of collecting and exhibiting as practised at the South African National Gallery (SANG) and in the wider context of South Africa. It originated from several concerns:
- the conviction that our Permanent Collection should be shared with our many and various audiences;
- the need to develop an overview of art produced during this decade of dramatic change and transformation;
- the need to examine collecting practices against acquisition policies in order to measure our achievements in relation to our intentions;
- the need to assess and address our strengths and weaknesses in the areas of collecting and exhibiting;
- the need to interrogate the value we place on our collecting, curatorial and conservation functions in the light of increasing demands on the museum to fulfil a multitude of purposes; and
- the need to maintain a focus on our Permanent Collection in the face of ever-increasing offers of temporary and externally generated exhibitions.
It remained an idea, albeit an eagerly discussed one, until Marilyn Martin attended the 7th PREMA (Prevention in Museums in Africa) Directors' Seminar in Accra, Ghana in December 1995. As part of the seminar, participants were required to prepare and present a project for collaborative implementation with ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property). The project, to be completed by December 1996, had to focus on one or both of the following aspects of museum work: documentation and exhibition.
Then began the enormous task of redirecting attention towards the Permanent Collection in order to update our documentation and to prepare works for exhibition and publication. Curators were drawn in to review and complete accessioning and documentation processes. The major workload was borne by Joe Dolby as Curator of Prints and Drawings, Kathy Grundlingh as Curator of Photography and myself as Curator of Paintings and Sculpture. Some assistance was provided by curators Hayden Proud and Carol Kaufmann, who carry the prime responsibility of the more historical or 'traditional' works in our collection. Works had to be retrieved from distant storage areas to which we had resorted as the collection burgeoned over the years. More works had to be extricated from the President's Office and Cabinet rooms in Tuynhuys where, on request, we had displayed works to celebrate the diversity of our new nation soon after the elections in 1994.
Research assistants were brought on board to assist with collating biographical data on artists. These have included Tracy Murinik, Jill Goldschmidt, Lea-Ann Bigelow (from Philadelphia, USA), Isabel Immel (from Marburg, Germany) and Tracy Brown. We also had the invaluable help of a group of voluntary guides who have served the Gallery in the most selfless ways for over a decade. The Gallery is fortunate to have one of the most comprehensive art museum libraries in South Africa under the management of our Senior Librarian, Josephine Andersen, without whose dedication this research could never have been realised. Researchers trawled through the extensive press cutting archives to obtain elusive biographical information to supplement what was (or wasn't) received directly from artists.
To oversee the editing of publications an Editorial Committee was established recently consisting of Josephine Andersen, Patty Hardy, Marilyn Martin, Emile Maurice and Nicolaas Vergunst. Special thanks are due to Emile Maurice for taking on the editing of the biographies with his usual meticulous attention to detail.
Kathy Grundlingh, in her capacity as photographer, spent many hours photographing works for the catalogue and publicity purposes. Nic Vergunst devoted himself to the catalogue design and layout and Heidi Erdmann to publicity. Jon Weinberg, as Head of Exhibitions and Technical Departments, managed the team, headed by Technical Supervisor Len Armstrong, which mounted and hung the exhibition. Given the scope of this exhibition and the extraordinary amount of work which had to be done to mount it, Museum Assistants Abdul Gamiet Abrahams, Ighsaan Noordien and Willem Visagie and Exhibitions Trainee Thobile Skepe must be commended for their commitment and hard work under trying circumstances.
The choice of Neville Dubow to contextualise the collection was an obvious one. As a member of the Acquisitions Committee since 1971 and Chairperson since 1982 he is the person best able to reflect on the purposes and processes of collection building which the SANG has undertaken over the last decade. He agreed to be interviewed and it seemed most fitting that Jane Taylor, who is taking up the chair of the Acquisitions Committee in 1996, should conduct that interview, assisted by myself.
The Director in her Introduction acknowledges the role which Neville Dubow has played as Chairperson of the Acquisitions Committee. I, in turn, would like to pay tribute to Raymund van Niekerk and Marilyn Martin, directors of the SANG during this period under review. Each has brought their unique and extraordinary skills and insights to bear on shaping this national collection and it has been a privilege to work with them.
Acquisitions, like so many museum functions, are essentially about teamwork. The Director and staff are almost entirely responsible for sourcing works of art from exhibitions, artists' studios and private collections, taking them to committee meetings and motivating for their acquisition. This situation presents a multitude of challenges, not least of which is the fact that the majority of contemporary art exhibitions take place in Johannesburg while most curators have limited opportunities for travel. Every attempt is made to reach consensus on the most appropriate works for acquisition but, obviously, not all Committee members have and exert equal power. The challenge which such a committee faces is to maintain an even balance of power in order not to misconstrue history through personal preference, oversight or poor judgement. Acquiring works of art by which the nation might represent itself is, by definition, an activity where different points of view and value systems are contested and the measure of the Committee's strength lies in the degree to which its members can hear, debate, address and resolve differences.
Political transformation in this country has brought with it many cultural changes and consequent demands. It is interesting to consider how the terrain has shifted from the late 1970s where the Acquisitions Committee described by Neville Dubow was pervaded by an ethos of 'gentlemen's agreement' to the present day where discussion, contestation and negotiation are valued. The question of how representative the Acquisitions Committee is and whose interests it serves is a vexing one which has been addressed more effectively with the appointment of staff and Board members who more accurately reflect the demographics of the country (see List of Committees, Addendum D). In addition to the usual concerns regarding aesthetic judgement, the particular challenges which we have faced as a national institution at this time in our history have been how to represent the widest possible spectrum of artistic expression in a country where the search for democracy has been a primary concern and how to accurately reflect the particularities and issues of the time in which we live. The major challenge, however, remains how to build a national collection on an acquisition budget of R200 000 per annum (roughly US$ 41 025 or £ 27 190 in October 1996).
Contemporary South African art is in great demand. International interest in South Africa has led to many exhibitions of contemporary South African art abroad. In the last two years alone, numerous requests have been made for loans from the Permanent Collection to travel to far-flung destinations. In 1995 Jane Alexander's sculpture Butcher Boys was featured in the centenary exhibition of the Venice Biennale entitled 'Identity and Alterity: figures of the body 1895/1998'. 
Randolph Hartzenberg's Painting with Blanket and
Christina Nkuna's Umkhonto we Sizwe were included in 'Siyawela: Love, Loss and Liberation in South African Art', curated by
Colin Richards and Pitika Ntuli for Africa 95 and mounted at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
David Koloane selected Norman Catherine's Animal Instincts and
Kevin Atkinson's White African Landscape for his contribution to 'Seven Stories About Modern Art in Africa', which opened at the Whitechapel Gallery in London as part of Africa 95 before going on to Malmö Konsthall in Sweden.
Local institutions continue to draw on our holdings.
Brett Murray's nomination for an FNB Vita Art Now award resulted in Rich Boy being included in that exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery and
John Nowers' works have recently featured in a restrospective exhibition mounted at the Irma Stern Museum in Cape Town.
Several works are still on tour and are thus not able to be seen on this exhibition.
Willem Boshoff's Blind Alphabet ABC was selected for the São Paulo Bienal this year.
Penny Siopis' Piling Wreckage Upon Wreckage and
Roger Van Wyk's South African Landscape Tradition are amongst several works touring the United States on the exhibition, 'Panoramas of Passage: Changing Landscapes of South Africa', which was curated by
Clive van den Berg for the Meridian International Centre in Washington, D.C. Not only do the number of loans indicate the popularity of South African art, but they serve as a firm endorsement of the quality of the Gallery's holdings.Just as South African art is being sought out for international exhibitions so new opportunities for cultural exchange within the continent have opened up. It is clear that South African artists have the capacity to make significant contributions within the international art arena. South Africa is in a unique position both historically and geographically. Given the opportunity, there is no doubt that South African artists can produce art which has the power to assert itself as worthy of serious international attention, to disrupt conceptual or aesthetic boundaries and to challenge the hegemony of western art.
This exhibition should demonstrate how visual production can contribute to our understanding of ourselves and our culture. The extent to which these works participate in shaping significant histories, both within South Africa and further afield, will be the measure of their greatness as works of art and, of course, the measure of our achievement as a national institution committed to developing and maintaining the highest standards of excellence while nurturing a culturally diverse but shared national identity.
Emma Bedford
Head: Curatorial Departments
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