IRMA STERN MUSEUM

This house was bought by Irma Stern's parents in 1927. The South African painter of German origin lived here for almost 40 years until her death in 1966. The house is decorated with many handicrafts that she collected during her travels in Africa. Her canvases, plated on the walls repainted in red, green or blue, are displayed in the living room, the dining room and her studio. During the visit, one discovers the astonishing and colourful work of an adventurous woman who dared to travel in Africa, Zanzibar, Senegal and Congo during the Second World War, and who brought back portraits, landscapes and illustrated travel diaries. In Zanzibar, Irma Stern describes Indian women in purdah and Arab men in turban and white dresses, as well as the abundance of fresh produce in the colourful markets. You have to go there to admire African Woman with Children, Rich Old Arab or The Hunt, painted in 1926. It is also an opportunity to discover part of Mrs. Stern's collection of primitive art, the centrepiece of which is a caryatid altar seat from the school of the African master of Buli, fashioned, according to experts, between 1840 and 1860. There are no more than twenty such objects in the world, counting the pieces on display at the British Museum and the MET in New York. In 2011, a painting by the artist was acquired in London in an auction for about 5 million dollars! This is marked as a record for a South African artist.