"Irma Stern (1894-1966), whose work was displayed at the Venice Biennale several times in the 1950s and was the subject of an exhibition at Berlin's Brücke Museum last year, is recognised both domestically and internationally. Her parents were German-Jewish but she was born in Transvaal and throughout her life travelled extensively, notably to Germany where she was initially associated with the German Expressionist painters of the time."
"Having settled in South Africa in the 1920s, she moved into a house called The Firs in Rondebosch, Cape Town, and remained there until her death. She left her collections in trust for the encouragement and promotion of art: artefacts she had collected, plus her own works of art. Some rooms were kept substantially as they were when she lived there - most notably her studio with her paintbrushes, easel, rags and art."
The Irma Stern Museum closed last year and remains uncertain when or whether it will reopen. Irma Stern (1894-1966) achieved international recognition, exhibiting at the Venice Biennale in the 1950s and at Berlin's Brücke Museum. She lived at The Firs in Rondebosch from the 1920s until her death and left artefacts and her own works in trust to promote art; parts of the house, including her studio, were preserved. The University of Cape Town and the Irma Stern Trust ended their 56-year partnership, announced that collections will be moved to another storage facility, and that The Firs will be repurposed. The closure provoked outrage and accusations of a lack of transparency, with staff removed without clarity and the public reportedly kept in the dark.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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