NORVAL FOUNDATION ART MUSEUM

Finally we got to visit this art museum and sculpture garden next door to Steenberg Wine Estate in Cape Town’s Constantia /Tokai area. Featuring artists in the visual arts from all over Africa, the museum has a beautiful setting below the Constantiaberg mountain, part of the Table Mountain spine. It was a really worthwhile couple of hours, and made me want to return at another time to better absorb the textual information that accompanied the artworks. The focus being Africa and its experiences, much of the art is infused with deep-seated angst and complex emotion.

There was a main exhibition featuring well-known South African artist Irma Stern, this time focusing on her portraits painted during her Zanzibar years. It was enlightening to discover that her elaborate wooden frames are actually parts of Zanzibar’s beautifully carved wooden doors. A poster describes the common symbolic elements used, from pineapples, frankincense, flowers and lotus blossoms to Quranic quotations. Fascinating.

Do go and see for yourself when you’re next in the neighbourhood. It’s an art museum of international standard.