Oliewenhuis Art Museum is pleased to announce that a recent donation, The Don Quixote Portfolio, will be on exhibition from 11 December 2020 to 21 February 2021. The portfolio was inspired by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes’ novel ‘Don Quixote’ published in two parts - part 1 in 1605 and part 2 in 1615. Illustrating selected quotations from Cervantes’ novel, which appear as printed sheets in the portfolio, it features the work of 16 artists and was printed at Atelier le Grand Village.

Atelier le Grand Village is a lithography studio located in the hamlet ‘le Grand Village’ in the Charente-Limousine area, in the south-west of France. The founder, Francis van der Riet, was born and grew up in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. He studied in Cape Town and has lived in France since 1988. The aim of the studio is to revive the art of lithography by inviting artists in residence from around the world.

Well known South African artists, namely, Diane Victor, Bambo Sibiya, Willem Boshoff, Jan Vermeiren, Leon de Bliquy, Christiaan Diedericks, and Pauline Gutter have printed at Atelier le Grand Village and contributed to the portfolio. Other South African artists that printed at the studio includes Mongezi Ncaphayi, Banele Khoza, Hanneke Benade and Themba Khumalo. The following international artists contributed to the portfolio: Michael Barnes, Sasha Bitzer, Corrine Forget, Anne-Catherine Charbonnier, NINA Kovacheva, Patrice Lefèvre, Valentin Stefanoff, Suzanne Touvay and Francis van der Riet.

The Quixote / Quichotte Portfolio was one of the first group projects of the studio. The idea was for a collection of artists that had previous residencies at the studio, to contribute to this portfolio, with the aim of showcasing the richness of lithography as a printing technique. It also shows how artists personalise the technique, resulting in a rich variety of styles. The portfolio of 16 artworks, 39cm (h) x 36 cm (w) took around 5 years to complete.

From the start it was agreed with the artists that each would receive one edition of the portfolio and that the studio would donate editions to institutions in the countries where the artists came from. As the majority of the artists are South African, it seemed fair and appropriate to donate an edition to two institutions in South Africa. Atelier le Grand Village have already donated one edition to the Iziko South African National Gallery. Willem Boshoff suggested that the studio approach Oliewenhuis Art Museum, and the Advisory Committee gladly approved an edition to be accepted into the Permanent Collection. It was a wonderful opportunity to expand the collection and is in line with Oliewenhuis Art Museum’s objectives for the collection which include; ‘To collect, document, conserve and research works of art acquired through purchase, commission, bequest and donation.’

Editions were also donated to the following collections: Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Albertina collection, Vienna.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein. The visiting hours during Level 1 is from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 15:00, Saturdays between 10:00 and 15:00 and closed on Sundays and public holidays. Entrance is free and secure parking is available for visitors. A ramp at the entrance of the main entrance provides access for wheel chairs, while a lift provides access to the Permanent Collection display areas on the first floor.

For more information on Oliewenhuis Art Museum please contact the Museum at 051 011 0525 (ext 200) or oliewen@nasmus.co.za. Stay up to date by following Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all upcoming exhibitions and events.

For more information on Atelier le Grand Village please visit www.legrandvillage.net and follow all the happenings at the studio on Instagram (@atelierlegrandvillage).

A catalogue of the exhibition can be viewed online: https://nasmus.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DONQUIXOTTE-englishprint.pdf

All photos are shared courtesy of Atelier le Grand Village and remain their property.