
Uplifting the Colonial Philistine
Florence Phillips and the Making of the Johannesburg Art Gallery
Jillian Carman(Author)
Wits University Press
Published on 15. December 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
360 pages
978-1-86814-436-5 (ISBN)
Description
Uplifting the Colonial Philistine is a thoroughly researched, fascinating account of the unusual circumstances in which early Johannesburg, then a budding mining town, came to have an art gallery with one of the most avant-garde collections in the world. It describes the larger-than-life characters who brought the Johannesburg Art Gallery to its grand launch in November 1910: Florence Phillips, wife of one of the Randlord patrons, and Hugh Lane, curator. Containing 100 colour reproductions from the original catalogue, this book unravels the complex intertwining of personal and socio-political agendas that made up the fabric of the founding. It describes how the collection was perceived in London, whether it was adapted to suit the 'colonial Philistine' (as one London critic described its intended audience), and how the local community responded.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Johannesburg
South Africa
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Illustrations (some col.)
Weight
800 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-86814-436-5 (9781868144365)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jillian Carman was a curator at the Johannesburg Art Gallery for thirty years. In 2005 she received the University of the Witwatersrand Research Committee publication award for her doctoral thesis, on which this book is based.