August Art Month
The Welgemeend Art Month had its humble beginnings in 2013 following an appeal by the late Stephan Welz, renowned art auctioneer and chairperson of Strauss & Co at the time. In 2013 Stephan, realising the importance of the Welgemeend Homestead and its collection and the need for restorative maintenance, suggested the hosting of a fund-raising function at Welgemeend. The inaugural event was held in August 2014. It included a dinner, an auction of selected items, and a discussion titled ”Is Collecting Art?” between Stephan and Frank Kilbourn, then one of Strauss & Co’s clients and a passionate collector and lover of art. This first event was well received, raised much needed funds, and put the annual Welgemeend August Art Month on the map.
2021 August Art Month from 14 August until 16 September
60/360 Exhibition from the Kilbourn Collection
Raising funds for the upkeep and maintenance of Welgemeend forms an integral part of the August Art Month programme. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we will not be hosting our annual gala dinner and live auction. An online fundraising auction for the benefit of Welgemeend will, however, be held on the Strauss & Co platform as part of their August online-only auction taking place from 16 to 23 August 2021 – https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/
For more details on the exceptional auction lots, please click on the following link: https://www.welgemeendart.co.za/online-auction-2021/
A heart felt thank you to Strauss & Co for their generosity in this regard.
ART MONTH AT WELGEMEEND 2021 CELEBRATES THE ROLE OF ART IN MAINTAINING A 360-DEGREE VIEW OF LIFE
Art Month at Welgemeend, an annual celebration of arts and culture held every August in the historic Cape Town manor home of Welgemeend, returns in 2021 with a diverse programme of events coordinated around a special theme. This year’s Art Month at Welgemeend celebrates a special milestone: collector Frank Kilbourn, who with his wife, Lizelle, initiated this month-long art event in 2014, turns 60.
“We have tied my coming of age into an exciting programme coordinated around the theme 60/360,” explains Frank Kilbourn, a businessman and executive chairperson of Strauss & Co. “Art Month at Welgemeend 2021 will showcase works from the Kilbourn Collection, including some early pieces acquired with the assistance of art dealer Leon Strydom, who sadly passed away from COVID. Matthys and Leon Strydom established the Strydom Gallery in George in 1968 and played an important role in our journey as young collectors. This is an opportunity to pay homage to Leon as well as to affirm the role of art in maintaining a 360-degree view of life.”
A joint initiative between the Friends of Welgemeend, Frank and Lizelle Kilbourn, Strauss & Co, Delaire Graff Estate and others, Art Month at Welgemeend 2021 will officially commence on Saturday, 14 August 2021, with an exhibition Walkabout with Frank Kilbourn and Matthew Partridge. Art month concludes on Thursday 16 September 2021. Highlights from the month-long programme include a classical piano recital by musical virtuoso Gerhard Joubert on Sunday, 12 September 2021, and an art lecture series organised by auction house Strauss & Co. A catalogue for the exhibition of the Kilbourn Collection will also be available. See What’s On for the full programme.
Preceding the official start of Art Month at Welgemeend 2021, Strauss & Co will host the auction preview of the Professor Leon Strydom Collection and the Hall Collection of Linnware in the manor house. The Professor Leon Strydom Collection includes works by leading modern, post-war and contemporary artists including Robert Hodgins, Sydney Kumalo, Gerard de Leeuw, Alexis Preller, Stanley Pinker and Irma Stern. Highlights include a vivid Stern gouache in a dominant yellow palette produced in 1931 during an important three-month work trip to Madeira. The preview will run from 2 to 8 August 2021. The contents of the exhibition will be sold on a virtual-live auction in four sessions, commencing at 11am, on Tuesday 10 August 2021.
This year’s programming marks a return to limited in-person attendance following the fully digital edition of Art Month at Welgemeend in 2020. Physical attendance at the exhibition and lectures at Welgemeend is subject to current health guidelines and state regulations.