South African National Gallery
<< back to Cape Town Travel Guide
South Africa’s leading art museum is the South African National Gallery, located in the beautiful Company Gardens in Cape Town’s city centre. Featuring a wealth of artwork from all over the world, the National Gallery is South Africa’s flagship institution, and showcases some of South Africa’s and the world’s leading collections.
The National Gallery features an impressive permanent collection that has been carefully amassed over the years. Selections within this collection range from the colonial to the contemporary, with the oldest of these works having been completed in the 1870s.
Contemporary art and installations are also a prominent feature at the Gallery, and both the new and old works are changed regularly to provide a complete programme of South African and international art.
Top works of interest at the South African National Gallery
The National Gallery’s extensive collections include paintings, sculptures, photography, beadwork, architecture, works on paper and textiles. Added to this are the temporary collections which range from magnificent collections of classic paintings to contemporary installations made of steel, paper, wood, plastic, glass – any material imaginable, in fact!
The most famous of the Gallery’s collections include its permanent collections of South African and African art, as well as British, Flemish, Dutch and French art. In recent years, the Gallery has also invested time and effort in growing its collection of indigenous artwork, with particular focus on beadwork and sculptures.
Accommodation in Cape Town’s “museum mile”
The City Bowl is the historic hub of Cape Town, and one of its greatest attractions is “museum mile”, which is centred around the beautiful Company Gardens. Here, you’ll find the South African National Gallery, as well as the South African Museum, the South African Planetarium, the South African Jewish Museum, The Slave Lodge and The Castle of Good Hope.
Secure your holiday accommodation in this culturally rich epicentre. Book your luxury hotel accommodation at Taj Cape Town, the city’s top accommodation and relaxation venue.
