| Summary: | Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, History of Arts, 2013 === This
report
examines
the
collecting
practices
of
the
private
collector
of
South
African
art,
situated
in
South
Africa,
and
considers
the
way
in
which
the
act
of
collecting
influences
both
the
contemporary
market
and
the
construction
of
the
art
historical
canon.
The
report
questions
the
contribution
made
to
the
South
African
art
world
by
collecting
practices
and
considers
what
is
involved
in
the
collecting
of
fine
art.
I
discuss
the
collector
in
relation
to
Sylvester
Ogbechie’s
(2010)
notion
of
cultural
brokerage;
I
examine
notions
of
both
public
and
private
through
the
writings
of
Michael
Warner
(2002);
and
I
consider
what
makes
into
one
a
collector,
with
reference
to
Thomas
G.
Tanselle’s
(1998)
text
A
Rationale
of
Collecting,
while
engaging
several
other
sources.
The
report
continues
with
a
comparison
between
international
collectors,
with
a
focus
on
the
ways
in
which
they
contribute
to
what
becomes
and
remains
relevant,
as
well
as
discussing
some
local
collectors.
I
conclude
with
an
examination
of
the
way
in
which
auction
houses
have
played
a
seminal
role
in
the
establishment
of
the
canon
in
South
Africa,
and
the
role
of
the
collector
in
relation
to
this
system.
In
summary,
this
paper
examines
the
ways
in
which
the
private
collector
of
South
African
art
has
a
great
influence
on
what
is
perceived
as
relevant
to
the
canon,
to
culture
and
to
art
history.
|
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