As is tradition, the 2024 edition of August Art Month at Welgemeend is anchored by a curated exhibition of modern and contemporary art from the Kilbourn family collection. This year’s exhibition is titled (On)bekend / (Un)known and will showcase lesser known and under-estimated artists as well as sometimes atypical examples of work by acclaimed artists like Cathy Abrahams, Norman Catherine, Willem Boshoff, Igshaan Adams, Walter Meyer, Karel Nel, Berni Searle, Jarryd Ginsberg and Moses Tladi.

“The much-loved artworks that Lizelle and I have selected for 2024 August Art Month at Welgemeend have been collected over many years and are very familiar to us,” says Frank Kilbourn, who is also chairperson of Strauss & Co. “But I’m fully aware that what is familiar and known to one person might be unknown and new to someone else. I thought this idea would be interesting to explore in an exhibition of unusual or lesser-known works by well-known artists together with works from artists that are not receiving the recognition they deserve.”

What makes an artist recognisable? How does an unfamiliar work shift the public’s perception of an artist? Frank Kilbourn will answer these and other questions provoked by the diverse works in (On)bekend / (Un)known at a series of ticketed public walkabouts (cost R250pp):

Saturday, 3 August from 1 – 3pm
Wednesday, 7 August from 11am – 1pm
Saturday, 17 August from 1pm – 3pm
Saturday, 24 August from 1 – 3pm

Adds Frank Kilbourn: “Artists are great explorers, always asking questions, always challenging certainties, always fighting stagnation and broadening horizons. In this age of social flux and cultural change, we can learn a lot from looking at how artists think, adapt and change. The works I have selected will surprise, sometimes because of who they were produced by or what they portray, but other times through their uncommon use of everyday materials.”

The exhibition will open to the public on Thursday, 1 August 2024, and runs until Saturday, 31 August 2024. Entrance for the public is R60, and R40 for Friends of Welgemeend. Throughout the month of August, Welgemeend will host lively social events. They include a ticketed gala dinner on Tuesday, 6 August and a classical music concert with Gerhard Joubert on Sunday, 25 August. Children are invited to a family day on Saturday, 24 August. There will also be informative public talks and a cocktail reception on Wednesday, 14 August. The month-long proceedings will conclude with a convivial art and wine festival on Saturday, 31 August 2024.

A detailed schedule of daily events, with dates, times and associated costs, is attached.

About August Art Month: Established in 2014 by art collector Frank Kilbourn and auctioneer Stephan Welz, Strauss & Co’s founding director who passed away in 2015, the initiative aims to shore up support for Welgemeend, a historic home on the slopes of Table Valley built in the 18th century and subsequently enlarged by the Homer family. Welgemeend was declared a national monument in 1944. It is owned and managed by Jan van Riebeeck Hoërskool, in collaboration with the Friends of Welgemeend. August Art Month is an important source of revenue for the maintenance and preservation of this landmark Cape property.

About Strauss & Co: Strauss & Co is Africa’s leading art auction house. With monthly online sales and marquee live auctions, Strauss & Co offers African and international art, as well as design, wine and jewellery, at all price levels. Market leaders in modern and contemporary art at auction in Africa, Strauss & Co (founded in 2009) actively champions artists, designers and wine producers from the African region. It supports various education and community engagement programmes.

About Delaire Graff Estate: The Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch was acquired in 2003 by Laurence Graff, Chairman, Graff Diamonds International, and opened to public in 2010 as a world-class destination for wine, art, cuisine, and an escape from the everyday. The estate produces supremely elegant vintages from Bordeaux reds and Chardonnay grapes grown in vineyards situated on the slopes of Botmaskop Mountain. The estate is also known for its large showcase of art from Laurence Graff’s personal art collection.