The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria is home to only African artwork – so it was fitting that after six months of being shut, the centre reopened on Heritage Day.

“We’ve been looking forward for months to reopening the art centre,” says Dr Samuel Isaacs, interim chief executive officer of the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP). “It’s exciting that the artwork on exhibition here – everything from modern masterpieces to the ancient gold pieces of the National Treasures Gold of Africa exhibition – will be accessible to view again, to marvel at, and to think and talk about.”

Javett-UP is unique in that it exhibits only African art. The pieces on exhibition are a precious part of South Africa’s national heritage, so it’s especially fitting that the art centre reopened on Heritage Day, inviting South Africans to celebrate the creativity and talent of African artists.

The centre has been shut for nearly six months while South Africans were on lockdown. Now that its doors are open, Javett-UP has put extensive and thorough protocols in place to safeguard staff and visitors against COVID-19, so that the masterpieces on display can be viewed in all their inspiring, iconic beauty.

Javett-UP is home to three signature exhibitions: the National Treasures exhibition, which includes the famed Mapungubwe Gold Collection and AngloGold Barbier-Mueller Collection of West African Gold; All in a Day’s Eye: The Politics of Innocence in the Javett Collection, which includes among the most noteworthy and iconic works of modern South African art; and 101 Collecting Conversations: Signature Works of a Century, which brings together works that tell the story of South Africa’s momentous and turbulent history, as seen through the eyes of its artists.

Javett-UP is the only place where all these artworks can be viewed in the same place, at the same time, making this a rare and wonderful opportunity for anybody and everybody who is interested in South African history, heritage and stories.

Doors open at 10am. Owing to COVID-19 regulations, the centre can accommodate only a specified number of people at a time. Visitors should be aware that they might need to wait a few minutes if the centre is at full capacity upon arrival.

For more information on Javett-UP, please visit www.javettup.art