Signature Pieces

Formed over the last four decades, the Standard Bank Corporate Art Collection is a testament to the vision of its creators and the changes in attitudes by which it has been shaped: shifts in corporate culture, the visual art sector and the broader South African social and historical context.

One of the oldest and most comprehensive of the South African corporate collections, it consists of more than 1000 works of art, housed mainly in the Standard Bank Centre and the Standard Bank Global Leadership Centre in Johannesburg. Components can also be found in other venues, such as Standard Bank offices in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Pretoria, London and New York. There is a strong pictorial focus in the Collection, including artworks in diverse media by over 250 different South African artists. Significant artworks of local subjects by non-South African artists, such as the pioneer explorers during the colonial years, are also included. The artworks span 330 years, dating from 1680 to the present, with the majority of the works being from the last 50 years.

The book Signature Pieces, edited by Julia Charlton of the Wits Arts Galleries, gives an insight into the Collection, reflecting its growth and development. The high quality images provide readers with a sense of the scope of the Collection, and the essays by specialists on particular aspects of the art offer additional insight. A chapter is also dedicated to the artists’ voices, and 12 invited artists discuss an aspect of their works in the Collection, offering valuable perspectives on their sources, thought processes, methods or intentions. Contributions have been made by Willem Boshoff, Alan Crump, Bronwen Findlay, Robert Hodgins, Churchill Madikida, Colbert Mashile, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Karel Nel, Sam Nhlengethwa, Doreen Southwood, Minnette Vári and Andrew Verster.

The publication came about due to a desire to make public the richness and depth of the Collection, which is now more than three times as large as when the last catalogue was published in 1990.

ISSUED BY: The Heritage Agency on behalf of Standard Bank Gallery
For further information please contact:
Jo-Anne Duggan
The Heritage Agency
Tel: 083 285 3600
Email: jo-anne@heritageagency.co.za