Corporate Citizenship
Absa Gallery
Banking is not something you automatially associate with art - yet, as you walk into the Absa Towers North building in the Johannesburg CBD, you are struck by the sheer volume and potential of the open-plan space that was designed around the art it was created to house.
The major artworks were commissioned while the building was being designed - allowing artists and architects to work together to create a space that accommodated the artworks perfectly. There are a number of artworks that can be seen in these larger spaces, including:
- A huge colourful marvel by artist, Karel Nel, titled ‘Place of Narture’ hangs in the reception area
- Five, six-storey tall tuft carpet banners by Norman Catherine - which were woven by hand by rural men
- An 11-meter tall Walter Oltmann wire sculpture depicting replicas of carved African chairs; weighing half a ton
- A two-storey tall metal mobile of the old City of Johannesburg shown against the newer, more modern city in perfect balance; created by Lewis Levin, Paul Cawood and Susan Woolf. It moves slowly, making a cycle every 20 minutes
Beyond these, and other artworks that grace the offices and reception areas throughout Absa, an art gallery houses stunning original works of art that are open to the public (just be sure to bring along your ID book or driver’s licence), with full tours of the exhibitions available on booking.
Other than hosting the prestigious Absa L’Atelier competition each year, the gallery also hosts a number of exhibitions throughout the year - showcasing talent of both established and upcoming artists.
Exhibitions
We pride ourselves in supporting South African artists, and hold regular exhibitions to showcase the amazing works created by established and upcoming artists. Watch this space for updates on upcoming events that you can’t afford to miss.
| Start date | End date | Event |
| 03/02/2013 | 28/02/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Ian Grose – Absa L’Atelier winner 2011 – opening of exhibition |
| 01/03/2013 | 03/03/2013 | Design Indaba: Art Exhibition (Cape Town) |
| 04/03/2013 | 08/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier: Receiving of entries at all collection points around South Africa. For further details view www.absalatelier.co.za |
| 12/03/2013 | 23/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier - Regional exhibition: Durban (artSPACE) |
| 16/03/2013 | 06/04/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Pretoria (Association of Arts Pretoria) |
| 16/03/2013 | 29/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Bloemfontein (Centenary Gallery) |
| 20/03/2013 | 28/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Port Elizabeth (NMMU North Campus) |
| 22/03/2013 | 12/04/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: East London (Ann Bryant Gallery) |
| 21/03/2013 | 12/04/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Johannesburg (Absa Gallery) |
| 28/03/2013 | 13/04/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Belville (art.b) |
| 29/03/2013 | 06/04/2013 | Absa KKNK (Oudtshoorn): (1) Exhibition "The Seven Deadly Virtues" - new work by artists from the Absa L’Atelier Art Competition and (2) solo exhibition of Ian Grose entitled "Notes" |
| 13/05/2013 | 30/05/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Curated show by Jayne Crawshay-hall |
| 10/06/2013 | 27/06/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Collen Maswanganyi |
| 09/07/2013 | 08/08/2012 | Bloemfontein: Exhibition “Re-sampled 2012” – a collection of works from the Absa collection and a re-sampling of them by artists from the Absa L’Atelier art competition |
| 18/07/2013 | 22/08/2013 | Absa L’Atelier: Top 100 |
| 09/09/2013 | 26/09/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Absa employees and family, Salon des Refuses |
| 07/10/2013 | 31/10/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: To be confirmed |
| 18/10/2013 | 19/11/2013 | Absa L’Atelier Top 100 exhibition (Cape Town City Hall) |
| 11/11/2013 | 30/01/2014 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Re-sampled 2013 |
| Opening Events | ||
| 11/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier - Regional exhibition: Durban (artSPACE) | |
| 15/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Pretoria (Association of Arts Pretoria) | |
| 15/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Bloemfontein (Centenary Gallery) | |
| 19/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Port Elizabeth (NMMU North Campus) | |
| 20/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: East London (Ann Bryant Gallery) | |
| 20/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Johannesburg (Absa Gallery) | |
| 27/03/2013 | Absa L’Atelier – Regional exhibition: Belville (art.b) | |
| 12/05/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Curated show by Jayne Crawshay-hall | |
| 09/06/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Collen Maswanganyi | |
| 08/07/2013 | Bloemfontein: Exhibition Re-sampled 2012 | |
| 17/07/2013 | Absa L’Atelier: Gala event and announcement of winners | |
| 08/09/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Absa employees and family, Salon des Refuses | |
| 06/10/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: To be confirmed | |
| 17/10/2013 | Absa L’Atelier top 100 exhibition at Cape Town City Hall | |
| 10/11/2013 | Absa Gallery Exhibition: Re-sampled 2013 | |
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+27 (0) 11 350 5139
