Strauss & Co Fundraiser Supports Welgemeend Restoration

Strauss & Co Launches Fundraiser to Support Upkeep of Historic Welgemeend Manor House

The 2025 edition of Welgemeend Art Month (6 August – 5 September) marks a renewed commitment to preserving one of Cape Town’s most treasured heritage sites — the Welgemeend Manor House. Now in its twelfth year, the winter arts festival not only celebrates South African art but also raises critical support for the continued restoration of the 17th-century homestead.

Built in 1693 on the slopes of Table Valley, Welgemeend is both a national heritage landmark and a thriving cultural venue. This year, Strauss & Co has launched a dedicated fundraising initiative through a multi-session online auction titled PLEDGE FUND | Building the Future: Welgemeend Restoration Fund. The auction, which runs until 25 August 2025, invites members of the public to pledge funds toward key maintenance and upgrade projects at Welgemeend.

“The Friends of Welgemeend, in collaboration with the Kilbourn Family and Strauss & Co, have raised funds over several years for the continued upkeep of this landmark building,”

says Bina Genovese, Managing Executive at Strauss & Co.

The 2025 fundraising goals include restoring the historic Bösendorfer grand piano, refurbishing interior woodwork, waterproofing and repainting the building’s exterior, and enhancing the site’s security systems. Donors will be invited to an exclusive contributors’ event hosted by the Friends of Welgemeend at the conclusion of Art Month.

A centrepiece of this year’s programme is the exhibition In en Om Ons / In and Around Us, curated by Frank Kilbourn and Sean O’Toole. Drawing from the Kilbourn Collection, the exhibition explores themes of home, play, labour, and self, as interpreted by artists working in the age of photography. Media on show include painting, photography, sculpture, and ceramics.

Modernist luminaries such as J.H. Pierneef, Gerard Sekoto, Maude Sumner, George Pemba, and Maggie Laubser will be presented alongside contemporary artists like Sanell Aggenbach, Richard Mudariki, Georgina Gratrix, and Mawande ka Zenzile. The photographic component features iconic figures such as David Goldblatt, Billy Monk, Jo Ractliffe, and Lunga Ntila. Ceramics and sculptures by Juliet Armstrong, Hylton Nel, Stephané Conradie, and William Kentridge will round out the multidisciplinary showcase.

“The exhibition investigates how painters and photographers both converge and diverge in their depictions of the world,” .

explains co-curator Sean O’Toole

To complement the visual art offering, Welgemeend Art Month will also host a vibrant public programme of talks, walkabouts, and performances:

• Saturday, 9 August at 10am: Walkabout with curators Frank Kilbourn and Sean O’Toole (R250)
• Tuesday, 12 August at 6pm: Public lecture by Wilhelm van Rensburg on Walter Battiss (R250)
• Wednesday, 13 August at 5.30pm: Lecture-demonstration on J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations by Dominic Daula and Hans Huyssen, followed by a recital at 7pm (Tickets via Quicket)
• Saturday, 16 August at 10am: Walkabout with Frank Kilbourn (R250)
• Tuesday, 19 August at 6pm: Art Basel 2025 talk by Lizelle Kilbourn and Kirsty Colledge (R250)

For full programme details, visit: www.welgemeendart.co.za

Additionally, during Art Month, the Boerneef Collection — typically housed at Welgemeend — will be temporarily relocated for public viewing at Strauss & Co’s gallery in Woodstock.

This integrated celebration of art, heritage, and philanthropy continues to highlight the importance of preserving South Africa’s cultural treasures, ensuring Welgemeend remains a space for artistic engagement and historical reflection for generations to come.