Johannesburg Art Gallery exhibit relocation still up in the air over storage risks
Museum Africa is still being disputed as a suitable location to store the Johannesburg Art Gallery's pieces on a temporary basis.
The Johannesburg Art Gallery's temporary exhibit relocation is still uncertain due to storage risks in the city's refurbishment plans. The gallery's 1913 Deed of Donation stipulates that only the gallery committee can approve any changes to the collection. However, Friends of JAG and the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) have filed legal papers to disband and reconstitute the committee, as it is currently not legally constituted.
The city had planned to store the collection at the repurposed upper level of Museum Africa, with a projected cost of R50 million and completion by 2027, including improvements for temperature, humidity, waterproofing, and fire protection systems. Yet, the DA's site visit revealed that the storage area lacked proper climate control, security, and conservation standards.
The DA questioned the relocation's progress to provincial cooperative governance and infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo, who stated it was a city matter. JHF chair David Fleminger emphasized the importance of proper measures for the collection's handling, and the potential loss of valuable pieces like works by Pierneef, Monet, Rodin, and Picasso if moved without the right precautions.
Fleminger also noted that alternatives like digitizing and cataloguing the collection were rejected, but other options remain.
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