Welgemeend Art Month – Strauss & Co is pleased to announce that it will once again collaborate with art collectors and philanthropists Frank and Lizelle Kilbourn in hosting this annual, vibrant month-long programme of activities at Welgemeend manor house in central Cape Town.
A joint initiative of the volunteer group Friends of Welgemeend and Kilbourn family, the eleventh edition of this boutique arts and culture event will run from 1–31 August 2024. As is tradition, the 2024 edition of August Art Month at Welgemeend is anchored by a curated exhibition of modern and contemporary art from the Kilbourn family collection. This year’s exhibition is titled (On)bekend / (Un)known and will showcase lesser known and under-estimated artists as well as sometimes atypical examples of work by acclaimed artists like Cathy Abrahams, Norman Catherine, Willem Boshoff, Turiya Magadlela, Walter Meyer, Karel Nel, Berni Searle, Jarryd Ginsberg and Moses Tladi.
Lizelle & Frank Kilbourn
“The much-loved artworks that Lizelle and I have selected for 2024 August Art Month at Welgemeend have been collected over many years and are very familiar to us,” says Frank Kilbourn, who is also chairperson of Strauss & Co. “But I’m fully aware that what is familiar and known to one person might be unknown and new to someone else. I thought this idea would be interesting to explore in an exhibition of unusual or lesser-known works by well-known artists together with works from artists that are not receiving the recognition they deserve.”
What makes an artist recognisable? How does an unfamiliar work shift the public’s perception of an artist? Frank Kilbourn will answer these and other questions provoked by the diverse works in (On)bekend / (Un)known at a series of ticketed public walkabouts (cost R250pp):
- Saturday, 3 August from 1 – 3pm;
Colbert Mashile,
- Wednesday, 7 August from 11am – 1pm;
- Saturday, 17 August from 1pm – 3pm; Saturday,
- 24 August from 1 – 3pm
Adds Frank Kilbourn: “Artists are great explorers, always asking questions, always challenging certainties, always fighting stagnation and broadening horizons. In this age of social flux and cultural change, we can learn a lot from looking at how artists think, adapt and change. The works I have selected will surprise, sometimes because of who they were produced by or what they portray, but other times through their uncommon use of everyday materials.”
The exhibition will open to the public on Thursday, 1 August 2024, and runs until Saturday, 31 August 2024. Entrance for the public is R60, and R40 for Friends of Welgemeend. Throughout the month of August, Welgemeend will host lively social events. They include a ticketed gala dinner on Tuesday, 6 August and a classical music concert with Gerhard Joubert on Sunday, 25 August. Children are invited to a family day on Saturday, 24 August. There will also be informative public talks and a cocktail reception on Wednesday, 14 August. The month-long proceedings will conclude with a convivial art and wine festival on Saturday, 31 August 2024
Welgemeend Manor House
Fundraising Gala Dinner Tuesday, 6 August 2024 at 18:30
After Dinner Talk: Collector Frank Kilbourn and Gallerist Marc Stanes An auction of bespoke items will take place.
R1500 per person | Dress: Elegant Please RSVP by Saturday, 3 August 2024.
Proceeds in aid of the restoration and conservation of Welgemeend and Boerneef Art Collection.
TICKETS for The Fundraising Gala
WHAT: WELGEMEEND ART MONTH “(Un)known | (On)bekend”
WHERE: Welgemeend Manor House, 7 Wegemeend St, Gardens, Cape Town 8001
WHEN:1 – 31 August 2024
ENTRANCE: R60, and R40 for Friends of Welgemeend.
INFO: T 079 227 4461 | E info@welgemeendart.co.za | VISIT
PHOTOS: Detail: Walter Meyers, Neo Expressionist (Untitled), The Kilbourn Collection | Colbert Mashile, Boxer in Fine Garb, The Kilbourn Collection
WELGEMEEND [20]The WHAT, WHY & WHERE of the
arts scene in around Cape Town
see the 2023 art craft + museums_map
and listen in to the Sanlam
Arts Round Up Fridays @17:30
on Fine Music Radio FMR 101.3fm
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Another reason Cape Town is placed 3rd in Time Out’s World’s Best Cities for Culture!
