A special art collection, which is a Fifa World Cup Art Legacy project, will go under the hammer next month.
A special art collection, which is a Fifa World Cup Art Legacy project, will go under the hammer next month.
Endorsed by former president Nelson Mandela and football legend Pele, the collection is housed at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, and has been licensed by Fifa, a first.
It features works by about 200 artists from Africa, alongside works by their international counterparts representing all 32 countries in the World Cup finals in South Africa.
The inspiring collection was unveiled to the media yesterday amid a lot of interest from local and international media. It also saw strange bedfellows collaborating in art.
For example, artists from North Korea, Algeria, Slovakia and Honduras have teamed up with those from the US, Germany, Japan and Australia in a single collection.
The 2010 International Fine Art Collection is one of the largest fine art collaborations in history.
Graham Britz, a leading South African art dealer with 22 years experience, has been charged with auctioning the artwork. Some of the proceeds will go to charity, while participating artists also stand to benefit financially.
"The entire collection will remain on exhibition until the end of August for public viewing after the auction. The first set of art works to go under the hammer will be the African collection on July 4 at 2pm. The Mandela, Pele and the international collection will be auctioned off on July 5 at 7pm. The collection is open for viewing from today," said Britz.
The media were disappointed yesterday when Mandela's grandson, Chief Mandla Zwelivelile Mandela, who was expected at the breakfast meeting, did not show up.