DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL be exhibiting its world-class corporate art collection in South Africa from March, reaffirming the company’s 50-year connection with South Africa.
“In addition to our annual DaimlerChrysler Award for modern art, we wish to contribute to the celebrations of the 10-year anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa through our exhibition and our art youth programme,” the Chairman of DaimlerChrysler’s international Management Board, Jürgen Schrempp, told a media conference at the Pretoria Art Museum.
He was joined by Germany’s Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who was in South Africa on a State visit.
The exhibition in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town will be accompanied by an extensive art education programme for South African schools.
The art education programme will provide a school shuttle bus service to the exhibitions, workshops for artists, and above all art education for learners with the aid of a special textbook entitled “ABC of the DaimlerChrysler Art Collection — A Workbook for learners and students in South Africa”.
The free workbook will be available in English and three other South African language, and will help fill a gap the standard education curriculum offered by state schools in South Africa.
DaimlerChrysler’s art collection includes works from Josef Albers through Andy Warhol to Sylvie Fleury, and around 200 of the most important works from the collection will be exhibited in South Africa.
The DaimlerChrysler Collection, started in 1977 with the purchase of a painting by Willi Baumeister, now comprises around 1300 works by more than 300 artists.
It focuses on art from 1940 to present, including art concret, constructive art, minimalism, concept art, zero, abstract tendencies from the 80s to present day as well as examples of contemporary photography and video art.