Party-time as JAG’s iconic building turns 100
11 November 2015
Joubert Park was abuzz with activity on Tuesday night as hundreds of partygoers and art enthusiasts converged into the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the iconic Lutyens Building, which houses the 105-year-old gallery.
It was an evening of elegance, glitz, glamour, culture and art as several high-profile art aficionados, Afropolitan glitterati, journalists and urban trendsetters came together to celebrate the milestone with pomp and ceremony. The purpose-built structure – at the corner of King George and Klein streets – was designed by architectural genius Sir Edwin Luytens, a contemporary of Sir Herbert Baker, one of South Africa’s best-known architects of the time.
It was opened in November 1915 when JAG, which had been temporarily accommodated at Wits University, took occupancy. The City of Johannesburg has allocated R24-million over three years to restore the building to its former glory.
In her speech at the ceremony, JAG Chief Curator Antoinette Murdoch said the centenary celebrations had highlighted the gallery’s important role in the South African art world. She said she hoped the energy and interest created around the celebrations would “usher in a new set of energies and audiences. In order to focus public perception on the core work of the gallery, which has housed, acquired and exhibited art for the citizens of Johannesburg and for many foreign visitors for over 100 years, JAG has this year shown a series of knockout exhibitions and installations with several more planned to extend into the next year,” she said.
The celebrations also featured the launch of a coffee table book on the history of the Lutyens Building. Titled Constructure: 100 Years of the JAG Building and Its Evolution of Space and Meaning, the publication is not, according to Murdoch, simply not only about the history of the building but also a “work of scholarship about the intellectual, aesthetic and cultural changes and challenges faced by staff and visitors over the years”.
Partygoers were also treated to a display of the recently launched SA Mint coin series. Released to coincide with the celebration of the Lutyens Building milestone in partnership with the Friends of JAG, a fundraising and support group for the gallery, the commemorative medallions showcase motifs of the building’s neo-classical architectural features with depictions of sculptural pieces from JAG’s collections.
The evening’s high-energy atmosphere was complemented by an impressive showcasing of six focused exhibitions from the gallery’s collection as well as several varied pieces from its archives. Major attractions included the South African Art 1940-1975 exhibition, curated by Murdoch herself. Featuring artists such as Irma Stern, Azaria Mabatha, Cecil Skotness, Walter Battiss, Gerard Sekoto, George Pemba and Alexis Preller, this exhibition is a fascinating chronological look at events in history with focus on history in the South African art context.
Curator Tara Weber’s exhibition, Moments in Time, also drew major interest. Interrogating facets of city life and focusing on Johannesburg, Moments in Time is a paper-only exhibition featuring several artists, including William Kentridge, Ernest Cole, Richard Estes and James Rosenquist.