Steenberg in Cape Town is to become the Mother City's next major art destination, as the Norval Foundation prepares to open its doors. It's home to one of the largest privately owned collections of South African modern art in the world.
The Norval Foundation will house the Norval family collection, which counts among its archive the works of the Gerard Sekoto Foundation, Edoardo Villa Estate Collection and the Alexis Preller Archive, all to be found between the sprawling sculpture garden, outdoor amphitheatre, multiple exhibition spaces, research library, restaurant, bar, shop and children's playground.
Property mogul Louis Norval started the foundation. He is the cofounder of Attfund, one of the largest private-property investment companies in South Africa, managing director of the Parkdev Group of Companies, executive chair of Homestead Group Holdings, and serves on the board of a number of other major companies, including Hyprop Investments, which bought Attfund in 2011.
Brundyn gallery founder Elana Brundyn is in charge of the space, putting together an experience rivalled only by the Zeitz MOCAA collection a few minutes up the road – where, incidentally, she recently served as director of institutional advancement and external affairs.
Brundyn says the aim of the Norval Foundation is to make art widely accessible to local and international visitors.
"I believe in the soft power of cultural institutions and know what a difference they can make and how culture can become a partner in transformation and building bridges, providing means for connections and collaborations," she said recently.
The Norval Foundation will open to the public on Saturday, April 28 2018. Head to the website for more information.