Setting Art Apart: Inside and Outside the South African National Gallery

308 Pages·2017·11.06 MB·English

by  Qanita Lilla

Setting
 Art
 Apart:
 Inside
 and
 Outside
 the
 South
 African

National
 Gallery
 (1895-­‐2016)

Qanita
 Lilla

Dissertation presented for the degree of Visual
Arts, at the Stellenbosch University.
Supervisor:
 Prof.
 Elizabeth
 Gunter

Co-­‐Supervisor:
 Dr.
 Andrea
 Meyer

March
 2018
Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Declaration

I
 declare
 that
 the
 entirety
 of
 the
 work
 contained
 herein,
 is
 my
 own
 original
 work.

I
 am
 the
 sole
 author
 thereof
 (save
 to
 the
 extent
 explicitly
 otherwise
 stated)
 that

reproduction
 and
 publication
 thereof
 by
 Stellenbosch
 University
 will
 not
 infringe

any
 third
 party
 rights.

 I
 have
 not
 previously
 in
 its
 entirety
 or
 in
 part
 submitted
 it

for
 obtaining
 any
 qualification.

Qanita
 Lilla

Copyright © 2018 Stellenbosch University
All rights reserved
I
Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Abstract

Setting
 Art
 Apart
 explores
 practices
 of
 exclusion
 and
 erasure
 in
 the
 white
 art

world
 in
 South
 Africa.
 It
 looks
 at
 how
 art
 and
 art
 spaces,
 such
 as
 the
 art
 museum

and
 the
 art
 academy
 were
 part
 of
 a
 project
 of
 reinforcing
 difference.
 The
 South

African
 National
 Gallery
 in
 Cape
 Town
 is
 the
 historical
 reference
 of
 the
 study.
 The

time
 frame
 spans
 the
 colonial
 beginnings
 of
 the
 museum
 through
 apartheid
 to
 the

democratic
 present.
 After
 a
 long
 period
 of
 bureaucratic
 uncertainty
 the
 South

African
 National
 Gallery
 was
 opened
 in
 1930
 as
 a
 monument
 to
 white
 art
 and

culture.
 Excluding
 those
 who
 did
 not
 belong
 was
 part
 of
 the
 process
 of
 white
 self-­‐
affirmation.
  State
  art
  museums
  served
  to
  make
  black
  people
  invisible
  by

portraying
  them
  as
  marginal
  while
  denying
  their
  art.
  Furthermore,
  the
  art

museum
  played
  a
  role
  in
  the
  way
  powerful
  white
  constituencies
  imagined

themselves.
  There
  are
  two
  prevailing
  elements
  that
  I
  have
  found
  useful
  to

examine
 in
 the
 project:
 the
 manipulation
 of
 space
 and
 the
 changing
 position
 of

the
 excluded
 black
 individual.
 Space
 is
 what
 was
 imagined,
 defined
 and
 controlled

by
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery.
 The
 museum
 shaped
 itself
 into
 a
 field
 of

contention
 during
 the
 colonial
 period,
 physically
 setting
 art
 apart
 in
 the
 racially

heterogeneous
 city
 of
 Cape
 Town.
 The
 museum
 differentiated
 itself
 from
 private

spaces
  during
  apartheid
  by
  aligning
  itself
  with
  the
  sanitization
  and

reconfiguration
 of
 the
 city.
 The
 black
 individual
 had
 a
 fraught
 and
 traumatic

relationship
 with
 the
 white
 art
 world.
 At
 once
 omnipresent
 and
 invisible,
 black

people
  did
  the
  manual
  labor
  and
  kept
  the
  museum
  space
  pristine
  but
  their

presence
 was
 scarcely
 recognized.
 In
 this
 thesis
 I
 consider
 numerous
 instances
 of

the
 erasure
 of
 black
 subjectivity
 including
 the
 way
 black
 female
 models
 were

studied
 as
 generic
 black
 bodies
 in
 drawing
 classes
 at
 Rhodes
 University
 and
 were

barely
 considered
 human.
 After
 apartheid,
 at
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,

the
 art
 made
 by
 black
 women
 was
 made
 hyper-­‐visible
 and
 the
 women
 themselves

were
 objectified
 while
 the
 legacy
 of
 apartheid
 endured.
 In
 order
 to
 investigate

practices
 inside
 the
 museum,
 I
 use
 traditional
 methods
 of
 archival
 research
 and

look
 at
 exhibition
 catalogues,
 annual
 reports,
 newspaper
 reports
 and
 associated

publications
 to
 track
 what
 was
 included.
 However,
 looking
 at
 what
 was
 erased

and
 excluded
 exceeds
 the
 bounds
 of
 traditional
 methodologies,
 especially
 since

archives
  were
  formed
  through
  colonial
  and
  apartheid
  enterprise.
  In
  order
  to

engage
  with
  the
  apartheid
  archive
  while
  seeking
  to
  examine
  what
  is
  on
  the

outside
 I
 position
 myself
 in
 the
 argument.
 As
 researcher,
 as
 a
 woman
 of
 colour

and
 as
 a
 subject
 excluded
 from
 the
 white
 art
 world
 I
 insert
 my
 personal
 voice
 and

experience
 in
 order
 to
 open
 up
 a
 space
 closed
 off
 to
 people
 of
 colour.
 Setting
 Art

Apart
 is
 a
 project
 about
 a
 public
 institution
 that
 was
 never
 truly
 public
 and
 by

inserting
 my
 own
 voice
 I
 engage
 subjectively
 with
 marginalization
 and
 exclusion.

  II
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Acknowledgements

This
 project
 has
 had
 a
 convoluted
 journey,
 reaching
 its
 conclusion
 would
 not
 have

been
 possible
 without
 the
 kindness
 and
 patience
 of
 numerous
 people.
 Firstly,
 I

would
  like
  to
  thank
  my
  supervisor
  Prof.
  Elizabeth
  Gunter
  at
  Stellenbosch

University
  who
  offered
  me
  support,
  encouragement
  and
  good
  humour

throughout
 this
 project.
 Thank
 you
 to
 my
 co-­‐supervisor
 Dr.
 Andrea
 Meyer
 at

Technische
 Universität,
 Berlin,
 who
 showed
 immense
 enthusiasm
 for
 this
 project

and
 who
 added
 valuable
 insight
 despite
 our
 physical
 distance.

Words
 cannot
 convey
 my
 thanks
 for
 the
 support
 I
 have
 received
 from
 my
 family.

My
 husband
 Ross
 Campbell
 has
 always
 believed
 that
 this
 was
 something
 I
 needed

to
 do.
 He
 never
 once
 doubted
 my
 abilities,
 taking
 on
 more
 than
 his
 fair
 share
 and

enduring
 this
 intense
 period
 with
 great
 fortitude
 and
 tenderness.
 To
 my
 beautiful

children
 Hamza
 and
 Bilal,
 three
 years
 seemed
 like
 a
 very
 long
 time
 but
 you’ll
 both

be
 happy
 that
 I
 can
 finally
 emerge
 out
 from
 under
 ‘the
 book’.
 Thank
 you
 to
 my

incredible
 sister,
 Ibtisaam
 Lilla
 for
 her
 generosity
 as
 well
 as
 her
 invaluable
 help

across
 academic/family
 life,
 for
 her
 help
 with
 archival
 citations,
 IT
 support
 and

with
 countless
 meals
 and
 childcare.
 Thank
 you
 to
 my
 mother,
 Nazley
 Lilla,
 who

believed
 that
 my
 voice
 had
 to
 be
 heard
 and
 my
 story
 told.
 I
 only
 truly
 felt
 that
 this

project
 was
 worthwhile
 when
 I
 saw
 the
 excitement
 and
 recognition
 in
 her
 eyes.

My
  father,
  Abdulrahman
  Lilla,
  who
  survived
  because
  of
  education
  and
  who

passed
 on
 the
 yearning
 and
 passion
 to
 me.

To
 my
 dear
 friends
 who
 have
 shown
 me
 such
 love
 and
 generosity.
 I
 am
 blessed
 to

count
 you
 as
 kindred
 spirits.
 Kylie
 Thomas
 who
 is
 compassionate,
 caring
 and

ambitious,
 who
 generously
 shared
 so
 much
 of
 her
 knowledge
 with
 me.
 Mary

Coombes
  who
  has
  come
  a
  long
  way
  from
  Rhodes,
  who
  survived
  art
  school

stronger
 and
 wiser.
 Thank
 you
 for
 kindly
 allowing
 me
 to
 include
 your
 beautiful

drawings.
 Carole
 Thompson
 who
 believed
 that
 there
 was
 life
 beyond
 the
 trenches

of
 Doha.
 I
 thank
 you
 all
 deeply.

I
 would
 like
 to
 acknowledge
 and
 thank
 the
 National
 Institute
 for
 the
 Humanities

and
 Social
 Sciences
 (NIHSS)
 for
 the
 financial
 support
 over
 the
 period
 of
 the
 study.

  III
Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za

Table
 of
 Contents

List
 of
 Figures
  IX

INTRODUCTION

Background
 and
 context
  2

Theoretical
 framework
  4

Chapter
 outline
  6

Race
  11

Premise
  14

CHAPTER
 ONE

 Setting
 Art
 Apart

1.1

 Introduction
  16

1.2

 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
  17

1.3

 Doing
 theory
  20

1.4

 Visual
 culture
 and
 the
 postcolonial
  26

1.5

 Postcolonialism
 and
 the
 subaltern
 subject
  29

1.6

 Postcolonial
 Theory
  33

1.7

 Decolonial
 Thinking
  34

1.8

 The
 subaltern
 and
 border
 thinking
  35

1.9

 Syntheses:
 Whiteness
 and
 the
 construction
 of
 national
 identity
  39

1.10

 Conclusion
  42

CHAPTER
 TWO

 Shaping
 a
 Field
 of
 Contention
 at
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery

 (1895–1947)

2.1

 Introduction
  44

2.2

 Origins
 and
 Background
 of
 a
 Colonial
 Art
 Museum
 (1895)
  47

2.3

 Classical
 Casts
 for
 the
 Colony
 (1908)
  48

  IV
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2.4

 The
 Aesthetics
 of
 Union
 and
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 Opens

(1910
 to
 1930)
  52

2.5

 Conservative
 rhetoric
 in
 the
 Cape
 Town
 art
 world
 (1940–1947)
  57

2.6

 The
 Art
 Sales
 and
 the
 Commission
 of
 Enquiry
 (1944–1947)
  62

2.7

 The
 Modern
 art
 debate
 revisited
 (1947)
  68

2.8

 Good,
 Decent,
 and
 Uplifting:
 The
 Bailey
 Collection
 (1947)
  70

2.9

 Conclusion
  72

CHAPTER
 THREE

The
 power
 of
 public
 and
 private
 spaces:
 Remapping
 the
 city
 and
 the
 South
 African

National
 Gallery
 (1949-­‐1970’s)

3.1

 Introduction
  74

3.2

 Eliding
 blackness:
 The
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 (1950’s)
  76

3.3

 John
 Paris
 (1949-­‐1963)
  78

3.4

 Displaying
 whiteness:
 temporary
 and
 permanent
 exhibitions
 (1950’s-­‐1960’s)

  79

3.5

 Founder
 Nations
 (1958)
  83

3.6

 Forced
 removals
 and
 white
 collusion:
 Cape
 liberalism
 and
 early
 apartheid

(1950’s-­‐1960’s)
  87

3.7

 The
 last
 days
 of
 District
 Six
 (1970’s)
  92

3.8

 The
 District
 Six
 Museum
  93

3.9

 Forced
 removals
 and
 looking
 at
 family
 photographs
  101

3.10

 Re-­‐mapping
 Cape
 Town
 and
 the
 District
 Six
 Museum
  107

3.11

 Conclusion
  108

CHAPTER
 FOUR

 Inside
 and
 outside
 a
 divided
 white
 art
 world
 (1980’s)

4.1

 Introduction:
 Cultural
 institutions
 and
 the
 state
 (1980’s)
  111

4.2

 PW
 Botha’s
 politics
 and
 Separate
 Amenities
 (1980’s)
  117

  V
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4.3
 Circumventing
 state
 censorship
 at
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 (1979)

  121

4.4

 The
 state
 of
 art
 in
 South
 Africa
 conference
 (1979)
  124

4.5

 South
 African
 Artists
 Association
 (SAAA)
  131

4.6

 The
 Cape
 Town
 Triennial
 and
 the
 Culture
 and
 Resistance
 Arts
 Festival

Gaborone,
 Botswana
 (1982)
  134

4.6.1

 Inside
 the
 white
 art
 world:
 The
 Cape
 Town
 Triennial
 (1982)
  134

4.6.2

 Outside
 the
 white
 art
 world:
 The
 Culture
 and
 Resistance
 Symposium
 and

Festival
 of
 the
 Arts,
 Gaborone
 (1982)
  138

4.7

 Thami
 Mnyele:
 artist,
 activist
  139

4.8

 Apartheid
 intervention
 and
 Operation
 Plecksy
 (1985)
  144

4.9

 People’s
 art
 and
 the
 state
  146

4.10

 Cultural
 boycotts
 (1981)
  148

4.11

 Valparaiso
 Biennale
 Chile
 and
 exhibitions
 of
 ‘good
 will’
 (1986)
  148

4.12

 South
 African
 Artists
 respond
 to
 Valparaiso
 (1987)
  150

4.13

 The
 Esmeralda
 and
 El
 Rostro
 de
 Chile
 (The
 face
 of
 Chile)
 Pretoria

exhibition
 (1985)
  152

4.14

 Arts
 funding:
 Foundation
 for
 the
 Creative
 Arts
 (1989)
  155

4.15

 Conclusion
  156

CHAPTER
 FIVE

 The
 black
 body
 imagined
 in
 a
 white
 art
 world
 (1990’s)

5.1

 Introduction:
 Life
 drawing
 and
 art
 instruction
 at
 Rhodes
 University
  158

5.2

 The
 art
 history
 syllabus
  163

5.3

 The
 black
 model
 in
 the
 white
 art
 studio
  167

5.4

 Encountering
 the
 black
 female
 body
 and
 playing
 at
 having
 a
 white
 eye
  171

5.5

 Apartheid
 and
 the
 black
 body
  175

5.6

 The
 black
 body
 and
 the
 pursuit
 of
 knowledge
  177

5.7

 Invisibility
 and
 silence
 on
 the
 fringes
  181

5.8

 Unknown
 and
 isolated:
 black
 experiences
 in
 academia
 and
 the
 white
 art

world
  186

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5.9

 Appropriating
 the
 European
 life
 class:
 Los
 Angeles,
 USA
  190

5.10

 The
 art
 school,
 university
 and
 art
 museum
  195

5.11

 Black
 women
 in
 the
 museum
  196

5.12

 Conclusion
  202

CHAPTER
 SIX

Rebranding
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery:
 Appropriating
 Africa
 and
 the
 black

body
 (1990-­‐2000’s)

6.1

 Introduction:
 Redress
 and
 dressing
 the
 house
 of
 art
  205

6.2

 Visiting
 the
 museum
 (1992)
  206

6.3

 Visiting
 the
 museum
 (2016)
  208

6.4

 The
 1990’s
 political
 context
  210

6.5

 Rebranding
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
  212

6.6

 Marilyn
 Martin’s
 strategies
  216

6.7

 The
 Foundation
 of
 Arts
 (1989)
  218

6.8

 Quantifiable
 gains
  221

6.9

 Lack
 of
 interference
  222

6.10

 Rapid
 and
 expanded
 acquisitions
 (1990-­‐1993)
  223

6.11

 Rebranding
  225

6.12

 Contradiction
 and
 redress
  227

6.13

 Changing
 the
 image
 of
 the
 museum
  228

6.14

 Rebranding,
 shape-­‐shifting
  231

6.15

 Redecorating
 the
 museum
  233

6.16

 Two
 exhibitions:
 Ezakwantu:
 beadwork
 from
 the
 Eastern
 Cape
 (1993)
 and

IGugu
 LamaNdebele:
 Pride
 of
 the
 Ndebele
 (1994)
  236

6.17

 Carol
 Kaufmann
 interview
 (2016)
  243

6.18

 A
 new
 logo
  245

6.19

 The
 same
 storytellers
 spinning
 new
 tales
  247

6.20

 Conclusion
  256

  VII
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CONCLUDING
 CHAPTER

Curating
 difference
 at
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 and
 student
 activism
 in

Cape
 Town
 (2010-­‐2016)

7.1

 Introduction
  260

7.2

 The
 exhibition

 Pierneef
 to
 Gugulective
 (1910-­‐2010)
  263

7.3

 ‘Whiteness
 burning’
 Shackville
 Protests
 (2016)
  271

7.4

 Rhodes
 Must
 Fall
 (2015)
  274

7.5

 The
 Trans
 Collective
  276

7.6

 Conclusion
  280

Bibliography
  281

•

  VIII
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List
 of
 Figures

Figure
 1:
 Andrew
 Lamprecht,
 Ed
 Young
 and
 Bruce
 Gordon,
 2002.
  8

Figure
 2:
 Rhodes
 art
 school

 Mary
 Coombes
 and
 me,
 1993.
  15

Figure
 3:
 Company
 Gardens
 and
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1930.
  16

Figure
 4:
 View
 of
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1950.
  18

Figure
 5:
 Nongqawuse
 and
 Nonkosi,
 1858.
  23

Figure
 6:
 Two
 unnamed
 men
 hold
 up
 paintings
 to
 the
 Board
 of
 Trustees
 at
 the
 South

African
 National
 Gallery,
 1948.
  28

Figure
 7:
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1960.
  31

Figure
 8:
 A
 child
 looks
 at
 a
 portrait
 of
 the
 two
 English
 princesses,
 Princess
 Margaret

and
 Princess
 Elizabeth.
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1938.
  38

Figure
 9:
 The
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 2014.
  44

Figure
 10:
 Interior
 door
 of
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 showing
 a
 cast
 from

the
 Beit
 Collection.
 1930.
  52

Figure
 11:
 The
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 ,
 Cape
 Town,
 South
 Africa,
 c.
 1930.
  55

Figure
 12:

 The
 gardens
 of
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1930.
  55

Figure
 13:
 Art
 sale
 from
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1947.
  61

Figure
 14:
 Art
 sale
 from
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1947.
  65

Figure
 15:
 Collection
 of
 Alfred
 Beit,
 The
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 1953.
  74

Figure
 16:
 Governor
 General
 of
 Union,
 opening
 the
 Robinson
 Collection
 of
 painting,

Princess
 Labia
 sits
 beside
 him,
 1959.
  80

Figure
 17:
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery
 and
 the
 Dutch
 art
 exhibition,
 1953.
  81

Figure
 18:
 Colour
 chart
 illustrating
 layout
 of
 permanent
 collections
 in
 1958,

Guidebook
 to
 the
 permanent
 collection,
 1958.
  83

Figure
 19:
 The
 atrium
 at
 the
 South
 African
 National
 Gallery,
 c1960.
  87

Figure
 20:
 Jansje
 Wissema,
 Last
 days
 of
 District
 Six.
 c.1970’s.
  92

Figure
 21:
 The
 District
 Six
 Museum
 crew
 based
 at
 the
 Moravian
 Church
 District
 Six.

Seen
 from
 the
 right
 are
 Menisha
 Collins,
 Tina
 Smith,
 Vivian
 Lalu
 and
 me,
 2000.

  94

Figure
 22:
 Nazley
 Jeppie
 in
 Harfield,
 Claremont,
 1962.
  96

Figure
 23:
 Christmas
 family
 photograph
 taken
 in
 Cape
 Town,
 during
 Harfield
 days.

On
 the
 photograph
 appear
 Nazley,
 Braim,
 and
 Phaldie
 Jeppie,
 c.1960’s.
  97

  IX