Tuesday morning marked the launch of an enormous piece of public art – the biggest in the province – of the late lawyer Anton Lembede‚ who died in 1947.
The mural hangs from Six Durban Club Place‚ the home of the majority of advocates in the city.
The former Smith Street‚ onto which the mural faces‚ was renamed after Lembede‚ who was also the founding president of the ANC Youth League.
The artwork‚ which measures just under 600 square metres and weighs over 400 kilograms‚ is also the largest privately funded piece of public art in the city.
It was commissioned by Urban Lime‚ an urban regeneration company founded in London by Jonny Friedman‚ who has undertaken large urban regeneration projects in the English capital‚ Cape Town and now Durban.
The launch marks the beginning of the transformation of the node into a legal and professional quarter that hopes to see a movement back into the city centre of both lawyers and professionals.
The company commissioned Durban artist Sakhile Mlongo‚ who is known for his large-scale realistic portraits‚ to create the original artwork on canvas‚ which was then printed onto the banner in sections.
At the launch‚ Sibongile Lembede‚ the granddaughter of Anton Lembede and the director of the Anton Lembede Trust‚ said that the family appreciated the work of the artist.
“Lots of people don’t know who Anton Lembede was. He was a very clever man who cared about Africans. We are very grateful to see his memory come to life.”
The trust‚ said Lembede‚ gives educational opportunities to disadvantaged students. – TMG Digital/The Times
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.