But the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa‚ due to open in Cape Town in September‚ will break the mould. None of its exhibits will have been created before the turn of the millennium.
The museum‚ in the historic Grain Silo at the V&A Waterfront‚ is attracting worldwide attention‚ and features in The Guardian’s “Top 10 new museum openings in 2017” on Monday.
“It will be the biggest museum to open on the continent for over a century‚” says the British newspaper.
“It will be an influential place too: the $38-million institution will be filled entirely with work created since the year 2000‚ and house the impressive collection of Jochen Zeitz (German philanthropist and former CEO of Puma)‚ while it continues to acquire work of its own.”
The Guardian calls the 57-metre-high Grain Silo‚ which will also contain a boutique hotel‚ “a towering reminder of Cape Town’s industrial heritage – and soon to be a symbol of its creative future”.
The January edition of the Robb Report‚ which claims to be “the global voice of real luxury”‚ features the museum in its “perfect 10 dynamic destinations‚ sophisticated sojourns and enthralling experiences” for 2017.
And The Week‚ in the UK‚ adds: “Few gallery openings have generated as much art-world buzz in years.”
Zeitz MOCAA‚ is it is called‚ will have 9500 square metres of exhibition space over nine floors.
Executive director and chief curator Mark Coetzee said: “Zeitz MOCAA will constitute a re-imagining of a museum within an African context: celebrate Africa preserving its own cultural legacy‚ writing its own history and defining itself on its own terms.
“The vision of the V&A Waterfront and Jochen Zeitz will have major impact for the visual art world and for Cape Town.” – TMG Digital/The Times
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