Closure of the Irma Stern Museum: a blow to South African art

I WRITE to you about the recent closure of the Irma Stern Museum in Cape Town, a sensitive matter that potentially affects everyone interested in South African art and the legacy of one of its greatest artists.

- FRANK KILBOURN

At Strauss & Co we are dedicated to promoting the legacy of modern and contemporary artists. The South African-born, German-trained artist, Irma Stern plays a leading role in this regard. Stern's work has been widely exhibited internationally for well over a century, most recently at the Venice Biennale in 2024 and at Brücke Museum, Berlin in 2025, drawing renewed attention to her significant role in the early beginnings of German Expressionism and its diffusion in South Africa.

Equally, Stern has a proven track record in the primary and secondary markets. This was confirmed by the recent enthusiastic bidding for her 1946 painting Malay (Black Headdress), which sold for R21.7 million, a record price for a Stern painting depicting a female sitter.

Collectors continue to adore her work and her reputation as an important Modernist Artist is gaining international recognition, driven by local collectors, academics and art institutions such as Strauss & Co.

Even more importantly, “Irma” and her home, The Firs in Rosebank, Cape Town, which housed the Irma Stern Museum, (“ISM”) has become an integral and much-loved part of the local art landscape.

In the context of this, we at Strauss & Co, as well as many Capetonians and art lovers across the world, were shocked and taken aback by recent, unexpected announcements about the closure of the ISM.

I herewith wish to clarify details as they are currently known to me both from the point of view as Chairperson of Strauss & Co and as the Vice-Chairperson of the ISM Committee, until recently.

At the outset, I need to correct the rumour that I am or have been a trustee or chairperson of the Irma Stern Trust, in fact I have never been a trustee thereof and am not involved in the running or affairs of the Trust at all.