Art galleries in Cape Town
South African National Gallery. Photo courtesy ifijay
More than 100 art galleries – as diverse as the colours daubed on an artist’s palette – await discovery in and around Cape Town. The artwork in a number of these galleries reflects South African culture and is likely to appeal to those looking for an art piece as a memento, while others cater for the more serious art collector looking for a unique masterpiece.
Below you will find a list of some of the galleries and spaces across the city. Please email us at info@capetown.travel if you have found a gem that others should know about, or if you can’t locate a particular gallery that you’d like to visit.
34 Fine Art, www.34fineart.com, Second Floor Hills Building, Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock. Established in 1997, 34 Fine Art specialises in a selection of contemporary South African art and prominent international artwork for the serious collector.
3rd iGallery, +27 (0)21 425 2266, 95 Upper Waterkant Street, Cape Town. Situated in an 18th-century warehouse, the gallery showcases exhibitions exploring contemporary issues.
Art Creations Africa, www.artcreationsafrica.com, 43 Almond Drive, Helderberg Estate, Somerset West. One of the largest exporters of African hard stone sculptures, this is the home of Shona stone sculpture from Zimbabwe.
Ashbey’s Galleries, www.ashbeysgalleries.co.za, 43-51 Church Street, Cape Town. Ashbey’s are fine art and antiques appraisers and auctioneers; they also conduct weekly auctions.
Association for Visual Arts, www.ava.co.za, 35 Church Street, Cape Town. Visit one of the oldest non-profit art galleries in Cape Town, which showcases contemporary South African art across all media.
Canterbury Framers and Gallery, 58 Vineyard Road, Claremont, represents well-known local artists such as Alice Goldin, Lyn Smuts, Hardy Botha, Theo P Vorster, Melissa Shaw, Philippa Allen, Gerrie van Tonder, Ian Tainton and others.
Cape Art, www.cape-art.co.za, specialises in art by Cape Town artists with an emphasis on paintings of people and places of the Western Cape.
Chelsea Gallery, http://home.mweb.co.za/ch/chelsart/gallery, 51 Waterloo Road, Wynberg. Nestled in the old Chelsea Village of Wynberg in the Ou Pastorie, the Chelsea Gallery showcases leading South African artists and hosts monthly contemporary art exhibitions.
Claremont Art Gallery, +27 (0)21 674 3343, 5 Newlands Road, Claremont. A selection of contemporary South African artists exhibit in this 100-year-old Victorian home.
Everard Read, www.everard-read-capetown.co.za, V&A Waterfront, 3 Portswood Road, Cape Town. The Everard Read gallery is well-known for showcasing fine contemporary painting and sculpture.
G2Art, www.g2art.co.za, 61 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town. The gallery showcases a range of unique, modern South African art including painting, ceramics, sculpture and photography.
Galleria Gibello, www.galleriagibello.com, Shop 31, Cape Quarter Square, Green Point, Cape Town. Galleria Gibello specialises in African fine art and wildlife photography.
Gallery Fabriano, www.galleryfabriano.co.za, Cape Garden Centre, 56 Tarentaal Road, Joostenbergvlakte. This gallery sells original art, frames, décor items, easel hire and organises corporate art workshops.
I-Art Gallery, www.iart.co.za, 71 Loop Street, Cape Town Central, and Wembley Square, Gardens. This gallery is described as “a project room for contemporary art”.
Irma Stern Museum and Art Gallery, www.irmastern.co.za, Cecil Road, Cape Town, is the former home of famous South African Expressionist Irma Stern (1894-1966). The gallery hosts a permanent exhibition of the artist’s paintings, drawings, ceramics and sculpture, as well as her private collection of early European furniture and African and Oriental art. Its massive wooden Zanzibari doors, painted furniture and vibrant colours mirror the artist’s lifestyle and personality. Regular contemporary exhibitions are held here, and contemporary works are for sale.
João Ferreira Gallery, www.joaoferreiragallery.com, 70 Loop Street, Cape Town. Features works by Mark Francis, Aaron van Erp, Marlene Dumas, Dorothee Kreutzfeldt, Sanell Aggenbach, David Brown, Bridget Baker and others.
Johans Borman Fine Art Gallery, www.johansborman.co.za, is situated in the In-Fin-Art Building on Buitengracht Street in Cape Town and offers a showcase of the best South African Old Masters and some top contemporary artists.
Michael Stevenson Gallery, www.michaelstevenson.com. Ground floor, Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock. Michael Stevenson has been dealing in South African art since 1990. Initially focusing on 19th and 20th Century paintings, as well as art from south-east Africa, the business expanded to encompass contemporary South African art in 2003 with the opening of a gallery in Green Point, Cape Town. It has since moved to Woodstock in Cape Town.
Michaelis Gallery, +27 (0)21 480 7111, 31-35 Orange Street, Hiddingh Campus, University of Cape Town. This is the only gallery in the country dedicated to video art. It forms part of the Michaelis School of Fine Arts, which was established in 1925 and exhibits students’ work, as well as that ocapeinf local and international artists.
Photographersgalleryza, www.erdmanncontemporary.co.za, 63 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town. South Africa’s top photographic gallery was opened by Heidi Erdmann in 2001 to create a platform for innovative and modern South African photographic works.
The South African National Art Gallery in the Company’s Garden in the city centre is one of the country’s best galleries, with outstanding collections of African, British, French, Dutch and Flemish art dating from colonial to modern times. The collection includes paintings, photography, and other media, by some of the country’s best-known artists, as well as works by some of the world’s more famous artists. While works from the permanent collection usually makes up the bulk of the displays, at times travelling and temporary exhibitions may be widely showcased. The South African National Gallery is part of the group of Iziko Museums, www.iziko.org.za, in Cape Town.
South African Society of Artists, www.sasa-artists.co.za, Travers Road, Cape Town. Founded in 1902, the South African Society of Artists has greatly influenced the development and appreciation of local art.
The Cape Gallery, www.capegallery.co.za, 60 Church Street, Cape Town. Early Cape painters often captured the flora and fauna of the Cape, which the Cape Gallery specialises in.
What if the World, www.whatiftheworld.com, 1 Argyle Street, Woodstock (corner of Argyle and Albert streets), +27 (0)79 490 7293. This forum for emerging South African contemporary artists was nominated in 2007 as one of the Top 50 Emerging Galleries from Around the World.
Worldart, www.worldart.co.za, 54 Church Street, Cape Town. Worldart has a gallery, and also focuses on artists’ marketing and management.
Inside the South African National Art Gallery. Photo courtesy of Micah and Erin
Exhibition at the Michael Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town. Photo courtesy of Dplanet
Art gallery at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town. Photo courtesy of Swiv
South African National Gallery, Cape Town. Photo courtesy of flowcomm
- Phone: +27 (0)21 487 6800
Steenberg Vineyards
If you are looking for a place where you can taste the Cape’s finest wines, dine in one of two modern restaurants and still have a plethora of things to do, then the Steenberg Vineyards are for you.
Cape Town Diamond Museum
Diamonds were formed three billion years ago by molecular-changing heat of around 1 300 °C, deep within the Earth’s crust. If you didn’t know that, then you have not been to the Cape Town Diamond Museum.
Castle Military Museum
The Castle Military Museum is housed in the oldest building in South Africa, the Castle of Good Hope. It is a tribute to the brave regiments of the past, providing an insight into the political history of the country and celebrating the rich military history of the Cape.
South African Rugby Museum
Cape Town sport enthusiasts are lucky enough to live in the city that is home to the South African Rugby Museum. Located just a drop kick away from the Newlands Rugby Stadium in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, home of the Stormers, the South African Rugby Museum is a full of tokens, collector’s items, memorabilia and history of one of the country’s most watched sports.
Historic buildings and architecture in Cape Town
As the oldest city in South Africa, Cape Town boasts a number of historical buildings, many of which are still in use today and open to visitors. The city’s architecture is a testament to the many varying influences in South Africa’s unique history.
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