Art Archives of the University of Pretoria

Art Archives of the University of Pretoria

Contact information: Dr Bronwyn Strydom 

Letlotlo 3-21, Groenkloof Campus

[email protected]

012 420 6137

The UP Art Archives is a collection of records that relate to South African art and artists. Material housed in the Art Archive was collected over a period of approximately 7 decades, mainly during the 20th Century. The main types of record found in the collection are photographs of artworks, newspaper clippings, journal and magazine articles, invitations and catalogues of art exhibitions and auctions, newsletters, reports and in some cases the personal correspondence and papers of individual artists. The collection also includes some records regarding art and galleries in neighbouring Southern African countries.

The collection includes the following sections:

1.            UP Department of Art History – administrative and other records

2.1          Graphic Artists (Link here to: UP Art Archives List of Graphic Artists.pdf)

2.2          Sculptors (Link here to: UP Art Archives List of Sculptors.pdf)

3.1          Monuments, historic sites and museums (Link here to: UP Art Archives List of Monuments, Historic Sites and Museums)

3.2          Galleries – art galleries, art association galleries, university galleries

4.            Art topics – includes art schools, collections of public institutions

5.            Auctioneers

6.            Art Historians

7.            Architecture, Rock Art, Philately, Photography, Ceramics

8.            Arts Associations (Mainly South African Association of Arts)

9.            South African Association of Art Historians

10.          Owners of art

11.          International Art

Some tips when searching for an artist or artwork using the available inventories and lists:

There is a lot of overlap between the graphic artist and sculptor files and in some cases individuals fall into both categories. When searching for an artist, it is useful to look in both the List of Graphic Artists and the List of Sculptors.

When searching for a sculpture or sculptor it is also worthwhile looking at the List of Monuments as this includes files of public sculptures and outdoor statues, as well as monuments.

The lists of Monuments, Historic Sites, Museums and Galleries include references, where known, to the location of these places. This means that searches can also be done by town or region.

There is also some overlap between historic sites, monuments and museums. These have all been included in one document to facilitate searches.