Johannesburg Art Gallery

4 jo stielau - 2 months ago

Worth a visit but be warned! Beautiful old building turning into a ruin. Current exhibition "Waiting for Gebane" is a solo exhibition by the South African artist Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela. Excellent exhibition.It has been hastily displayed as evidenced by slap dash painting over light switches and the spatters on the floor in an attempt to freshen up the space. However, the feeling of neglect is overwhelming and clearly the staff are demoralised:no-one can even be bothered to sweep the courtyard or water the potplants, it seems. Are there no " Friends of..." organisations to help this poor heritage building and valuable space? The slides of the African Artists collection are lying in dust under the stairs. The area surrounding the gallery is a slum. Park your car elsewhere and uber in. Why go there? Entrance is free, there is a worthy collection of SA artists ( on the matric syllabus) and the elegant bones of the building are simply magnificent. Like the Arctic, it is subsiding into non-existence and you may want to say, " I went there once."

2 Connor Boyd - 3 weeks ago

Infrastructure needs to be taken care of immediately. Many Large sections of the gallery are now closed, and the gallery as a whole is becoming dilapidated. There seems to be little to no maintenance of the buildings, or control of visitors. The art there is certainly worthwhile however. Especially the local sections.

5 Wim Korevaar - 5 months ago

There were very good art items. But the instruction film was very good for better understanding about birth, life, initiation, marriage, dead and eternal life. I hope that money may come to you for better maintenance of the items and the building etc. A good art director can bore that places where the money is for this items of your culture!!! The place in town is not the best one, but let your place be the best in that area, as an example for all of us!!

5 Eric Lee - 3 months ago

Amazing gallery. But because of the location it isn’t busy. Went there on a Sunday afternoon at 3pm and the guard told me I’m the 4th person on the day to visit?!?!

Lots of paintings and sculptures with great historical value.

The front yard was locked but you can ask the guards to open it for you. They are all super nice! In the front yard they have a few interesting sculptures so don’t miss it

They don’t have wifi in the gallery so if you are a tourist like me who uses Uber to go there please be prepared.

3 Lerato Malapane - 2 years ago

The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery in Joubert Park in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the largest gallery on the continent. As a major focus of urban regeneration programmes, the gallery provides the base for the Joubert Park Public Art Project and is developing links with awareness groups and community centres based in the surrounding urban area. You need to be extra careful and safe around this area as it’s within a very busy and crowded place, be extra careful with your belongings and gadgets.

3 Dudu Luthuli - 5 years ago

This gorgeous gallery made me sad. You can see that it once was iconic, but it's clearly no longer the case. Sad how such a beautiful gem lies in the heart of the city, in a part that is one of the busiest, but remains empty and cold. Looking forward to seeing what the new management revives it.

4 Ahmad Shokr - 4 years ago

Entrance is free to JAG
I gave it 4 stars only because of the location, alas the neighborhood can be much nicer, and the gallery can stand to have bit more pieces but that in no way means that it is not a place worth visiting for anybody who appreciates art, even a noob like me.
Contains several collections, gift shop and small art corner for kids.
Those are some of the pieces displayed there
A definite recommendation!