The “Jazz in the City” event at the Ann Bryant Art Gallery on Sunday will allow people to interact with a new art exhibition that is about to go on auction.
The collection, currently housed at the gallery, will be auctioned through Thompson Property Sellers, with public viewing and engagement running from now until mid-May when the online auction, which kicks off at the beginning of May, closes.
“There are more than 1,000 items on auction, including over 800 paintings and 600 collectables – including a 1975 VW Beetle and a 1976 Vespa – both in pristine condition,” said online auctioneer Marcel van der Holst, adding that there is also an extensive vintage miniature car collection, which includes a James Bond 007 Car set.
Some of the better-known artists include Gabriel and Tinus de Jongh, Dutch-born artists who created many landscape paintings of South Africa.
Another is Hargreaves Ntukwana, who first gained recognition for his art when he designed a cover for the music album Dollar Brand Underground in Africa. His work is popular in the US.
Also included is Amos Langdown, a figural painter, easily recognised for his depictions of people in groups such as children playing, fishermen and washerwomen and Pretoria-born Christian Nice, an impressionist who painted a variety of subjects.
Of many others are Chris Tugwell, one of SA’s foremost landscape artists; and Jack Lugg, who headed the Technical College Art School in East London for 35 years; over 150 artworks by East London artist Tony Durheim, well-known for seascapes taking in the coastline from Nahoon to Morgan Bay, and there are also artworks by Austrian-born South African artist Otto Klar.
Speaking on the significance of the collection, Papama Mnqadi, curator of the “Jazz and the City” festival, says the art collection, from a deceased estate, reveals a deeper cultural and economic story.
“What stands out is the intention [of the art collector],” Mnqadi said.
“This is not a random collection. It reflects someone who understood art not only as heritage, but also as having long-term value.
“There is a clear link between culture, memory and investment.”
According to the 2018 South African Wealth Report, South African fine art prices have risen by 28% in 10 years, compared to a global increase of 12% over the same period.
Given these stats art collectors are increasingly viewing works not only as cultural expression but also as investment assets.
Sunday’s music festival attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the collection during the “Jazz and the City” event.
For Mnqadi, the pairing of jazz and visual art is deliberate and deeply rooted in how audiences experience culture.
“Jazz and visual art speak to each other,” he said.
“When you bring them into one space, you are not just hosting an event. You are creating a cultural experience that allows people to engage with art emotionally, not just visually.”
Curator Leon du Preez positions the gallery as a long-standing cultural anchor in KuGompo City.
“The Ann Bryant Art Gallery stands as a central cultural hub of KuGompo, rooted in a legacy that dates back to 1905,” Du Preez said.
“It provides a platform where established artists and emerging voices can coexist, engage and grow.
“It is not just a venue, but a living cultural institution reflecting the identity of the city.”
In many local and township economies, art is still often viewed primarily as cultural expression rather than as an investment.
The collection now on display at Ann Bryant challenges this.
It demonstrates how art can function simultaneously as memory, identity and hold financial value.
For the public, the opportunity is not only to view the collection, but to engage with a different way of thinking about ownership and value creation. — with additional reporting by DDR
Picture: Supplied (Supplied)