The Johannesburg municipality’s choice of location to store precious art pieces is being met with resistance by the preservers of the city’s history.
Plans to renovate the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) were announced last year by mayor Dada Morero, with storage areas almost prepped and ready to receive exhibits.
The project is budgeted to cost R50 million and is set to be completed by 2027, but custodians warn it may take much longer.
Three sites to receive artworks
The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) and Friends of JAG have been monitoring the choice of storage facilities and the pending relocation of priceless art pieces.
Museum Africa in Newton, the Johannesburg City Library (JCL) and the Brixton Recreational Centre have been chosen as the three facilities to house the JAG’s artworks.
The custodians note that the JCL is a suitable location, but that the area earmarked at Museum Africa is unsuitable.
The Friends of JAG and the JHF led inspection teams comprised art experts and restorers who determined that the space posed a danger to the artworks.
“[We] highlighted a number of serious issues with the Museum Africa space regarding security, temperature control, water ingress, access points and more,” the groups said.
“We would point out, however, that the estimated time frame for the successful completion of this extensive renovation is between three and five years, not mid-2027 as was announced by Morero,” they added.
‘Maintaining international museum standards’
The Friends of JAG and JHF stated that they had relayed their concerns to the Johannesburg Development Agency, but the city insists their concerns are unfounded.
The municipality dismissed the specialists’ assessment of the space, stressing that “all necessary measures” were in place.
Officials stated that the relocation met the requirements for temporary relocations and would allow for “revised governance, operational and financial models”.
The Museum Africa site, the city said, will be equipped with humidity control, biometrics and an advanced security system.
“To protect the integrity of the security upgrades, the city has indicated that the full detail of security features will not be revealed.
“The city is committed to maintaining international museum standards for security and storage conditions during the temporary relocation,” the city said last week.
‘A reckless gamble’
The DA visited Museum Africa this week and was in agreement with the art custodians.
“This relocation is not only premature and fundamentally flawed but also represents a reckless gamble with our cultural heritage and must be strongly opposed,” said DA Gauteng spokesperson for environment Leanne de Jager.
She added it appeared to be a rushed exercise that did not fully appreciate the intricacies of art preservation.
“This situation could have been avoided if the JHF and Friends of JAG’s earlier warnings about conditions at the JAG, as well as their proposals for alternative storage solutions, had been heeded,” said De Jager.
The custodians said they were considering their options and warned that no art can be moved without an art gallery committee.
“We cannot support the JAG relocation plan to Museum Africa in its current form and distance ourselves from the results should it go ahead.
“We would sincerely like to engage constructively with the city to find a mutually-agreeable solution that meets international best practise,” the groups said.
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