Standard Bank Gallery
Visit the Standard Bank Gallery in downtown Johannesburg to gain an appreciation for the artistry in 'crafts', such as beadwork, basketry, ceramics and sculpture, as compared to 'fine art'.
The gallery houses works of historical significance as well as of the 'cream of the local art world' plus a collection of African art from across the continent.
Jo'burg Art and Sculpture
It's not extensive in the way the Metropolitan Museum in New York is, but the Johannesburg Art Gallery and Sculpture Park is the biggest in Southern Africa. It houses enough works (especially prints) by internationally famous artists (including Dürer, Rembrandt and Toulouse-Lautrec) to give you a taste of Western art history. Plus, of course, works by prominent South Africans.ABSA Gallery
You may not think anyone in ABSA had much sense of art given the bank's glitzy silver and red corporate décor, but the ABSA Gallery at the bank's HQ in Joburg has some 20 000 works dating from 1900 to the present and claims to be SA's largest corporate collection. The bank also runs an annual art competition for young artists, L’Atelier.Get on the Wall
Beautiful (though sometimes controversial) can be found all around the city of Johannesburg. Jozi has a thriving graffiti art culture with bold murals and artworks by local and international artists, bringing colour to Joburg's busy streets. For those who don’t know, graffiti is a form of visual communication (sometimes illegal) which marks a public space, usually a wall, with an artist’s creative endeavours.
Although it was usually seen as antisocial behaviour done to create controversy, it has turned into a form of street art and is more widely praised than years past. In Joburg, you are bound to find African-inspired works of art that speak on society, justice or the celebration of South African cultures. It is a truly wonderful expression of creativity, but should be done legally to avoid run-ins with the law.
By David Bristow