As the home and studio of the South African artist faces an uncertain future Deon Viljoen says its demise will mark a significant cultural loss
Often embroiled in controversy during her lifetime, the South African-born painter, sculptor, and collector Irma Stern would probably have launched a fierce counteroffensive to the unexpected announcement that her home and studio, left by her in trust for the benefit of future generations, will be closed indefinitely. The Irma Stern Museum, which is located near the University of Cape Town, has only recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Future plans for her collections of African, Chinese, European, Indian, PreColombian and Southeast-Asian works of art, as well as an invaluable collection of her own paintings, sculpture and works on paper, are still shrouded in uncertainty, with speculation rife.
The joint decision by the University of Cape Town (the body responsible for the museum's staffing and upkeep) and the Irma Stern Trust (administered by Nedgroup Trust) left supporters of the museum and collectors of her art in shock. A petition in support of keeping the museum open, initiated by the South African Art Times after the announcement of the closure in October, has garnered signatures of nearly 30,000 friends, artists, academics and supporters. A public meeting in November 2025 organised by Nedgroup Trust did little to dispel suspicion about the Trust's motives.
At the meeting, Terry Behan, a spokesperson for the Irma Stern Trust, said the museum would reopen after refurbishment of the storage facilities and security. How the Trust will be able to pay for such an undertaking was not disclosed. Behan said the artworks would be stored securely in the meantime but could give no reopening date for the venue.
Meinkie with Pumpkin by Irma Stern, painted in 1948 © Alamy
The museum provided a context for the artist's cosmopolitan interests and her engagement with many cultures, over a career spanning more than five decades. She frequently incorporated pieces of her many collected works of art into her still life Chinese glazed ceramics compositionsand Tang terracotta figures, Indian and Persian textiles, African pottery, weaving, wood sculptures and enriching sculpturenot only her world of colour, texture and form, but also providing glimpses into often strange cultures.
Her library of art books, as well as books on African folk tales, Persian, Chinese, Norwegian and Russian fiction and volumes of poetry, added depth to her intellectual and artistic curiosity and should remain as part of the fabric of Stern's home. For Helene Smuts, author of At Home with Irma Stern, the artist's curiosity led her to worlds where, in the mid-20th century, not many white South Africans ventured.
Stern painted portraits of her Jewish friends, as well as scientists, priests (Arab and Christian), Africans, Muslims and Indians, and Catholic and Old Testament subjects. This was her world and it says something about an interest and acceptance of others and their cultures. Against this background, the closure of the museum threatens to erase a vital aspect of South Africa's cultural landscape.
By Deon Viljoen
Sign the petition: change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-irma-stern-museum. Read more about Irma Stern in our Summer 2025 issue.
This article appears in the Winter 2026 issue of JR.