To proud dad Jochen Zeitz‚ a museum ... and a baby boy

As Jochen Zeitz gives birth to a Cape Town museum‚ his wife has given birth to his son.

Jesse Zeitz arrived seven weeks early on Tuesday morning‚ three days before Friday’s opening of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

Zeitz‚ 54‚ is married to Kate Garwood‚ 39‚ producer of the 2016 movie “Race”‚ about US track star Jesse Owens. The African-American destroyed Adolf Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The German art collector told TimesLIVE on Wednesday: “Words cannot describe our joy at this moment. I guess our son Jesse was so keen to become a South African and a local Capetonian in time for the celebration of the opening of Zeitz Mocaa that he decided to see the African sun rise ahead of his planned arrival.”

Zeitz Mocaa‚ created in Cape Town harbour’s old grain silo in a R500-million project‚ will be declared open on Friday with the cutting of 400 ribbons. Zeitz and Garwood have been in South Africa for several days for a series of events in the run-up to the opening.

Zeitz pulled out of an event on Tuesday night after Jesse’s birth‚ and the baby’s premature arrival was greeted by a round of applause when it was announced to hundreds of guests by Waterfront CEO David Green.

Speculation that Jesse was named after the 1930s athlete was fuelled by the fact that Owens was provided with shoes for the 1936 Olympics by the Dassler brothers‚ who went on to found Adidas and Puma.

At the age of 30‚ Zeitz was appointed chairman and CEO of Puma‚ and oversaw a 4‚000% increase in its share price over the next 13 years as it became one of the top three brands in the sporting goods industry.

Garwood‚ a Los Angeles-based TV and movie producer‚ has also worked on the TV series House of Lies and Californication.