The Reimagining Heritage, Archives and Museums: Today/Tomorrow convening took place from 13th to 15th February 2024 at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.
The Heritage and Art: The Role of Private and Corporate Collectors in Valuing and Preserving African Heritage discussion involved several key art and heritage figures. Michelle Constant (CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa and Weekend Broadcaster on SAfm), Mandla Sibeko (Entrepreneur and Director FNB Art Joburg), Louis Norval (Founder of the Norval Foundation and Co-Founder of Attfund Ltd and Green Create Group), Benjamin Fellous (Managing Partner and International Art Lawyer), Genevieve Ray (Museum Curator at the Absa Group), and Dr Same Mdluli (Artist, Art Historian, Writer, and Curator at Standard Bank Art Gallery).
In exploring the subject matter of private and corporate institutions, such as South African banks (Absa, FNB, and Standard Bank), museums and art institutions (Norval Foundation, Zeitz MOCAA and Wits Art Museum), along with initiatives such as the BMW Young Collectors’ Co., the discussion questioned what would happen if private and corporate collectors were not there, how art collecting works in South Africa, the availability and accessibility of art, the education and academia aspect coming into play, and the ownership of art – as far as banks owning art and museums owning, versus simply exhibiting, art.
Watch the full breakdown of this topic in the video below to learn more about how art moves in the sector and how African heritage fits into it.
