Art of Africa offered for a good cause

● Exciting works of art from leading contemporary artists from Africa and the diaspora will be auctioned at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town in partnership with Strauss & Co on Saturday.

The auction will feature 28 lots by 23 artists from 10 countries, including William Kentridge, Nicholas Hlobo and Yinka Shonibare. Funds raised from the benefit auction will allow the museum to continue its community outreach efforts.

Zeitz MOCAA is the first museum of its kind dedicated to collecting, preserving, researching and exhibiting 21stcentury art from Africa and its diaspora. The museum hosts international exhibitions, develops supporting educational and enrichment programmes, encourages intercultural understanding, and guarantees access for all.

The museum’s primary objectives are to provide affordable access to contemporary art (through the Access for

All initiative, which includes free admission for citizens of African countries); to operate programmes that enrich, inspire, and bring art and culture to school children (through the Centre for Art Education); and to provide artists from Africa and its diaspora an opportunity to present their achievements in the field of visual arts on their own terms.

Brooke Minto, director of institutional advancement at Zeitz MOCAA, says of the auction: “We are incredibly thankful to the artists and galleries that have donated these significant works and made this auction possible. We are so grateful for their generosity, as we know they are continually asked to give to so many worthwhile causes.”

Minto said the artists were “an inspiration to future generations of creatives, and this museum is very much a place that encourages and celebrates them”.

Frank Kilbourn, executive chair at Strauss & Co, said the company “strongly believes in the importance and relevance of Zeitz MOCAA”.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to use our brand and expertise to assist in raising funds for the laudable goal of art education, something we are deeply committed to.”

The auction on December 1 will be held in the museum’s reimagined grain silos at the V&A Waterfront, guided by Strauss & Co, which has waived all auction commissions and is providing advice and expertise as a corporate partner of the museum.

Interested parties can register for telephone bidding, view the catalogue or find out more information, by visiting www.straussart.co.za