i’m in Joburg at the moment on a spontaneous week long trip, and yesterday we visited the Johannesburg Art Gallery. it was quite an eye opening experience for me. JAG is situated in Joubert Park, right in the thick of inner city Joburg. which, to the uninitiated, is quite an intense part of town. it houses one of the largest collections of art in Africa, but only displays 10% of the work at any one time.
you’d think that an art gallery that has Rodin, Picasso, Kentridge, Monet, Boldini etc etc in its collection would be bustling on a Sunday. but we were the only people there. it is an extraordinary & beautiful place that seems to be falling apart at the seams. walking through it made me quite sad, but also hopeful that one day it will be restored to its former glory.
