Whats On 01 – 2025

Pretoria Art Museum: 012 358 6750 or artmuseum@tshwane.gov.za

Melrose House Museum: 012 358 0882 or melissal@tshwane.gov.za

Fort Klapperkop Heritage Site: 012 358 0882 or fortklapperkop@tshwane.gov.za

Judith Mason, Crucifix into Scarecrow, 1975, oil on canvas, Pretoria Art Museum collection

A selection of Judith Mason’s artwork from the Pretoria Art Museum’s collection will be on view in the South Gallery until 9 March 2025. Judith Mason was born in Pretoria in 1938. She matriculated at the Pretoria High School for Girls in 1956. She attended the University of Witwatersrand from 1957 and obtained a BA Degree in Fine Art in 1960.

Mason’s work is drawn or painted in reaction to her world. Political events, comments that she read, snippets of history or poetry which caught her eye or the experience of particular people or animals are usually used in a symbolic context.

She was one of South Africa’s most distinguished artists, working in a variety of media, namely oil painting, pencil drawing, printmaking and mixed media.

Alexis Preller, Two Angels, 1970, oil on canvas, Pretoria Art Museum collection

After being on loan for one year to the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, these artworks by Alexis Preller were returned to the Pretoria Art Museum in December 2024. The exhibition Alexis Preller: Mythical Lexicon at the Norval Foundation revisited a substantial body of Preller’s work, enabling viewers to understand its symbolic and fugue-like nature. Its haunting, dreamlike images reappear over a lifetime, each repetition reconsidered and distilled, evoking a different and poetic order.

Alexis Preller’s work is autobiographical on one hand, mythical and layered culturally transformative on the other. Solitary in nature, he worked in relative isolation, but his travels and continued interest in the art of other cultures sustained him and shaped his work. Deeply influenced by unknown artists across cultures and centuries, he drew on the hieratic traditions of Greece, Egypt and sub-Saharan Africa. His art, steeped in complex quotations of the past, does not fit comfortably into the artistic categories of his time or within the constraints and conventions of his home country, South Africa.

Source: Norval Foundation

                                                   Martin Augustin, Night rain, 2024, mixed media                                         Martin Augustin, In the shell of dreams, 2024, mixed media

Martin Augustín lives and works in Bratislava in the Slovak Republic. He is a painter, graphic artist, illustrator and graphic designer, but above all a solitary artist who chose his own path and pursues it with humility, compassion and love. Painting on paper is a medium that has long ago enchanted him and basically defines his creations. Handmade Japanese paper interwoven with thin capillaries enhances the fragility and delicacy of the final result, hinting at the interwoven threads of destiny.

The Mirror of Soul exhibition came to light after the artist accepted the invitation by the Slovak Ambassador at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in South Africa, HE Vladimír Grácz, to exhibit in South Africa. As a challenge and honour he seized the opportunity with enthusiasm, delving into timeless and all-human topics.

The exhibition will close on Sunday, 9 March 2025.

Hannelie du Plessis (Pretoria Art Museum): 012 358 6748/6750 or hanneliedp@tshwane.gov.za

Follower of Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Madonna on crescent moon, 1460/65–1488/93, oil on panel,

Lady Michaelis Bequest (1932)

A selection of portraits mainly from the seventeenth-century Dutch paintings from the Lady Michaelis Bequest is on view at the Pretoria Art Museum. The donation by Lady Michaelis in the 1930s of mainly seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings initially formed the core of the permanent collection of the Pretoria Art Museum. These artworks form an important point of reference from which the museum can approach the story of South African art as it unfolds from about the middle of the nineteenth century to the present day.

Daniël Mosako, Current Affairs, mixed media on board, Pretoria Art Museum collection

A selection of paintings from the permanent collection of the Pretoria Art Museum depicting the South African landscape of the twentieth century.

Riason Naidoo, Trouble with the neighbours, enamel paint on peg board

This selection of artworks from the permanent collection of the Pretoria Art Museum briefly reviews South African art. It includes works by early twentieth-century painters, the Resistance artists of the 1980s and artists of the twenty-first century. The exhibition is based on the secondary school syllabus.

Nicolene Swanepoel, Horse Head, 2009, earthenware

View a selection of ceramic artworks from the Pretoria Art Museum’s collection, as well as ceramics from the Corobrik Ceramic Collection. The Corobrik Ceramic Collection came into being in 1977. With continued support, Corobrik has been able to continue keeping the collection relevant for the last 47 years.

From 29 March to 25 May 2025, the Pretoria Art Museum will present Weave for your Life, an inspiring exhibition by members of the Pretoria Weavers’ Guild and the Johannesburg Weavers and Spinners Guild. This exhibition will showcase a diverse collection of handcrafted textiles and articles that highlight the beauty and complexity of weaving. Discover how local artisans blend traditional techniques with innovative designs to create patterns, rich textures and vibrant colours that transform simple threads into extraordinary pieces. Do not miss this celebration of craftsmanship and creativity!

Following the exciting and success workshop held in October 2024, another fun-filled workshop will be presented on Saturday, 15 March 2025!

More information to be sent out soon.

Mmutle A Kgokong (Pretoria Art Museum): 012 358 6750/6752 or mmutlekg@tshwane.gov.za

Thea van Schalkwyk (facilitator): tvs.thea@gmail.com

GUIDED TOURS

For information on guided tours, contact Mmutle A Kgokong at 012 358 6752 or mmutlekg@tshwane.gov.za.

Admission: Adults: R30,00; pensioners and students: R15,00; learners: R10,00 The museum is open to the public on Tuesdays to Sundays between 10:00 and 17:00. The museum is closed on Mondays and public holidays.

Pretoria Art Museum Cnr Francis Baard and Wessels Street Arcadia Park, Arcadia Tel: 012 358 6750 Email: art.museum@tshwane.gov.za

Centurion Art Gallery is a commercial art gallery where local artists can exhibit and sell their artworks. The gallery aims to show a variety of art forms, exhibit emerging talent and promote Tshwane artists in particular.

For enquiries, contact the gallery on 083 328 6491 or 083 274 2221.

Centurion Art Gallery is open on Mondays to Fridays from 09:00 to 16:00 and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 13:00.

The gallery is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Centurion Art Gallery, cnr Cantonments Road and Union Avenue, Lyttelton, Centurion