Nature Morte

Inspired by the Rupert Museum’s permanent collections, this instalment of Nature Morte is the second part, following the exhibition under the same title that was shown in Stellenbosch.

Still lifes and interior scenes are well-practiced genres in the visual arts. The significance of which is particularly relevant since the start of the pandemic, as we have experienced confinement to our domestic spaces the world over.

Through the mediums of drawing, painting and print, the South African stylistic movements of the 20^th and 21^st century through the genre of stills are recognized, compared and celebrated.

Prominent works by artists like Irma Stern, Jean Welz, Cecil Higgs, Alexis Preller, Erik Laubscher, Christo Coetzee, Penelope Siopis, Derrick Nxumalo and Marion Arnold amongst others, are included. A small but very prominent inclusion of 16^th and 17^th century Flemish still lifes, from the Michaelis Collection of Iziko National Gallery, are incorporated with food and still photography by Cape Town based photographers Claire Gunn, Michelle Parkin and Nadine Greeff, for comparison.

Look forward to ceramic inclusions by local artists during the course of this exhibition.