Artist’s showcase at the Radisson Hotel paints Johannesburg red
Sam Nhlengethwa's collection at the hotel features a selection of his globally-acclaimed figure paintings, collages, tapestries, and prints.
Legendary South African artist Sam Nhlengethwa’s exhibition at one of Johannesburg’s premier hotels marks his first foray into showing his work in an unconventional space.
The collection, unveiled in April at the Radisson RED Hotel, Rosebank, featured a selection of his globally-acclaimed figure paintings, collages, tapestries, and prints, and follows an extended exhibition by Zimbabwean portraitist Tega Tafadzwa.
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The hotel embarked on a programme to highlight relevant and cultural perspectives to guests, by outfitting its common areas with works by heralded African painters, photographers, and sculptors.
The exhibitions, lasting between nine and 12 months, align with the RDC Property Group and hotel owner’s commitment to empower artists in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Nhlengethwa became aware of the initiative last year. “I popped in there, not knowing they were showing works by visual artist Zanele Muholi,” he explained.
When the invitation came to show his own work, he happily accepted. “This means a lot to me. It shows what we do doesn’t just belong in a gallery or a museum. This is quite a brilliant idea by the owners of the hotel.” The only other time his work appeared outside of a gallery, was when a rendition of one of his paintings adorned a billboard promoting a national bank.
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His depictions of the evolution of the City of Gold, through street life, interiors, jazz musicians, and fashion, both prior to and beyond the fall of apartheid, have made him a revered name among collectors. A founding member of the Bag Factory in Newtown, Nhlengethwa has shown his works worldwide, including: the Whitechapel Gallery in London, SCAD Museum of Art in America, Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Niteroi in Brazil, and Seippel Art Gallery in Germany, among others, have all presented his striking creations.
RDC Property Group traditionally supports artists in countries where it has a long-term presence. Besides South Africa, these include Botswana, Mozambique, the United States, Croatia, Zambia, and Madagascar. The aim is to ensure that the arts and cultural ecosystems in these countries benefit from the group’s developments. The company is well-known among the creative community, having sponsored the Art for Space and Space for Art Awards at the Cape Town Art Fair over the past three years.
Nhlengethwa, his representatives from the Goodman Gallery, and RDC vice chairman Guido Giachetti, sat down to iron out the details, resulting in an exhibition of 10 pieces that will run for the next year, including a towering tapestry paying tribute to American jazz icon Miles Davis and ‘The Grand Piano’, which is one of his favourites.
“This curation ensures that the hotel continues to expand its contemporary collection while celebrating the work of these artists,” noted Giachetti.
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