The magnificent landscape of Kirstenbosch is also a perfect setting for art. The arden presents a variety of art exhibitions, both outdoor exhibitions of long and short-term duration, as well as indoor art shows and exhibitions in the various venues at Kirstenbosch. Please go to Events to find out about current and upcoming indoor art exhibitions at Kirstenbosch.
Extinction! Dinosaurs, and Cycads?
An exhibition featuring five life-sized, anatomically correct dinosaurs and a pterosaur, sculptured in tin, in amongst the cycads in the Cycad Amphitheatre. The sculptures are by David Huni. The exhibition draws attention to the fact that many of South Africa’s cycads are on the brink of extinction, and could soon face the same fate as the dinosaurs, but it is a crisis caused not by an asteroid impact but almost entirely by mankind. The aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness about the threats faced by cycads, and to increase public participation and support for cycad conservation and research.
Dylan Lewis.
Two animal bronzes by Dylan Lewis can be found at the Centre for Home Gardening. The position of each sculpture is permanent but the sculptures are changed from time to time. Dylan Lewis is among the most highly regarded figurative sculptors working with the animal form today. He works in clay, crafting the medium so that its final shape and surface take on an almost elemental quality, its texture not only bringing the animal to life but speaking of the wilderness itself.
To see more of Lewis’s work or to enquire about purchasing an original Dylan Lewis bronze, contact The Dylan Lewis Studio, Tel 021 880 0054, email: info@pardus-art.co.za, or visit his website: www.dylanlewis.com.
Nelson Mandela.
A bust of Nelson Mandela stands beside the pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) that Nelson Mandela planted on his visit to Kirstenbosch on 21 August 1996. The bust was sculpted by John Francis Gardner and donated to Kirstenbosch by the sculptor in January 2010. It portrays Nelson Mandela during the pivotal years of his presidency and captures his radiance and generosity of spirit the world has grown to love. Mandela’s bust and tree can be found just inside the Visitors’ Centre entrance to the Garden, at the bottom of the main lawn.
Cape Clawless Otter in the Otter Pond.
This very lifelike sculpture of the elusive Cape clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) was sculpted by Llewellyn Davies and donated to Kirstenbosch by the Taeuber Family in September 1994. It is inscribed with these words: ‘Our quality of life will depend on the ability of mankind to live in harmony with nature.’ Read more about the Otter Pond.