Notes

Desmond Fisher (1942–1997) was a Johannesburg businessman, an ardent entrepreneur with unbridled energy for projects and people. He started his collection by buying pieces directly from artists such as Sydney Kumalo, Cecil Skotnes and Ezrom Legae, and assisted Dumile Feni by buying a small school suitcase from the artist, which contained a number of drawings, when he went into exile in 1968. Fisher’s interest in South African art was further sparked in the 1970s by his friendship with Edoardo Villa, a member of the Amadlozi group. He purchased many works from the Henry Lidchi Gallery and received encouragement from Linda Goodman, of the Goodman Gallery, another friend and advisor, and from whom he purchased a large part of his collection. In 1970, the Goodman Gallery held the 51 Club Winter Art Exhibition and exhibited the Desmond Fisher Collection, and, in 1991 Fisher and Goodman co-curated the Dumile Feni exhibition at the Standard Bank Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

Fisher moved with his family to Cape Town in 1988 and, with inspiration from the award-winning Durban sculptor, Andries Botha, decided to hold an Art Festival at the newly developed Waterfront. This idea came to fruition in December 1992, when a marquee was erected in Dock Road alongside the Dock Road Café and the converted Pump House. This innovative project was the forerunner of what was to become one of the most important annual events on the arts calendar in South Africa, the Cape Town Art Festival.

Provenance

The Late Desmond Fisher Collection.