Johannesburg Art Gallery relocation plan sparks concern over cost and suitability of alternative sites

Johannesburg’s art lovers are raising concerns over plans to relocate the city’s prized art collection, as questions mount over costs, site suitability and delays.

The Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) has been under threat for years due to poor security and severe structural decay, including water leaks and damp that risk damaging irreplaceable artworks.

A relocation plan is now underway, but almost half of the R50 million budget — R23.6 million — is set to be spent before a single artwork is moved.

Concerns over cost and preparation

The funds will go towards preparing temporary storage sites, including Museum Africa, the so-called Pink Building, the Johannesburg City Library and the Brixton Multi-Purpose Centre.

Johannesburg Heritage Foundation chair David Fleminger said relocation is necessary, but the cost and approach are being questioned.

“The short answer is, yes, it could have been done differently,” he said.

Fleminger said a consortium involving private donors had proposed a fully funded alternative to relocate the collection, but the city rejected it.

Dispute over rejected proposal

According to Fleminger, the proposal would have moved the artworks to Pretoria at no cost to the City of Johannesburg.

He said the plan included storage, digitisation and restoration facilities, and was always intended as a temporary measure.

“We aren’t quite sure why Pretoria wasn’t accepted… this is a collective resource that we are trying to protect,” he said.

However, the city disputes this version of events.

Deputy director for communications Nthatisi Modingoane said there was no confirmed funding from the private sector.

“There was no money, physical money, that was coming forward,” he said.

Suitability of relocation sites questioned

Experts brought in by the Heritage Foundation raised concerns about the chosen sites.

Fleminger said Museum Africa required a new internal structure to control climate conditions, which significantly increased costs.

The Brixton Multi-Purpose Centre was also flagged as unsuitable.

“It’s all glass, and it’s not very secure, and you don’t want light coming in, and temperature control is a huge issue,” he said.

The Johannesburg City Library was considered acceptable for print materials only.

Why the city chose to keep artworks in Joburg

The city said relocating artworks outside Johannesburg would increase costs due to transport and insurance.

Officials also argued that municipal funds cannot be used to upgrade facilities outside the city’s jurisdiction.

Insurance premiums would also rise if artworks were moved beyond city boundaries, the city said.

Urgency as the gallery continues to deteriorate

Despite the disagreements, there is consensus that the artworks must be moved urgently to prevent further damage.

The gallery building cannot be repaired while the collection remains inside.

Years of neglect have already placed the collection at risk, making relocation unavoidable.

For Johannesburgers and art lovers, the key question remains whether the current plan will protect the city’s cultural treasures or put them at further risk.

For more, listen to Fleminger and Modingoane on 702’s Drive with John Perlman using the audio player below: