After greater than half a century, the Irma Stern Museum shut its doorways final week (Friday 31 October 2025) for good. Sadly, the belief didn’t even give artwork lovers an opportunity to go to it one final time earlier than closure. Nonetheless, committee members insist this isn’t the top for the South African artist’s assortment …
For greater than 50 years, the Irma Stern Museum was administered by the College of Cape City (UCT). As such, the association was distinctive in that it was half museum, heritage web site and academic useful resource. Nonetheless, the closure has elicited shock from the South African artwork world.
IRMA STERN MUSEUM CLOSES
Nevertheless, the excellent news is the Irma Stern Assortment lives on. In a joint assertion from UCT and the Irma Stern Museum: “The gathering could have new life breathed into it subsequent yr (2026). And there are thrilling plans to current Irma Stern’s work in new methods to have interaction a fair wider South African and worldwide viewers.”
Due to this fact, the gathering will probably be moved from ‘The Firs,’ to a different safe archival facility within the meantime. The previous was the home-and-studio of the South African artist from 1927 till her dying in 1966. Included within the assortment are oil work, works on paper, ceramics and sculpture. There are additionally artefacts Stern collected throughout her travels via Africa, Europe and the Far East.
Irma Stern’s portrait of a Cape Muslim girl not too long ago offered for R21.7 million at public sale. This marked a historic second for South African artwork as the most costly artwork piece ever. Furthermore, the committee stated that the previous UCT-campus museum can be ‘repurposed’ accordingly.
Stern’s closing will and testomony stipulated that her artwork and artefacts be held in belief ‘for the encouragement and promotion of the Superb Arts.’ As such, the Irma Stern Museum was based formally in 1971, underneath the administration of UCT.
What do you suppose? Did you ever go to the UCT Irma Stern Museum? And are you unhappy to listen to it shutting its doorways. Tell us within the feedback part beneath …
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