Southern Africa

Johannesburg

Art Makers (128)

Art Spaces (54)

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and one of the youngest in the world, founded in 1886 after the discovery of gold for which is known as “The City of Gold”. When the discovery became public, thousands flocked here in search of fortune and new opportunities, and the city rapidly transformed from a small settlement into a full-fledged city. However, the city still holds major urban contrasts going from fetid shantytowns to internationally recognized universities. In the early years of the 20th-century mining magnates supported the establishment of The Johannesburg Art Gallery, which features Africa’s finest collection of European Impressionists and incentivized the city’s dozen private galleries to increasingly highlight the work of African artists.