Goodman Gallery

About Goodman Gallery

For 57 years, Goodman Gallery has championed a leading community of artists who inspire social change and provided a platform for dialogue and healing. In 1966, during South Africa’s apartheid years, the gallery opened its doors to artists of all races, refusing to discriminate against artists of colour and becoming one of the first spaces in the world to exhibit artists who are beginning to gain global recognition as pioneers of 20th Century African Art.

Since 2008, under the leadership of owner director Liza Essers, the gallery has expanded from the preeminent South African gallery to a pioneering global gallery with a robust international programme. This is characterised by ongoing curatorial initiatives, three of which return to our programme in 2024: IN CONTEXT which explores the dynamics and tensions of place; South South brings together influential artists from across the global South; and Working Title identifies the next generation of talent from the African continent and diaspora.

In 2012, Goodman Gallery famously resisted political pressures in South Africa to censor its programme, standing up for freedom of expression above all. Today, the gallery represents artists hailing from around the world – South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, France, Canada, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Chile, Angola, the US, China, the UK, Portugal, Columbia, Botswana and Cuba – allowing the gallery to continue to exist as an energising platform for diverse perspectives.

Goodman Gallery holds long-term relationships with major contemporary South African artists and estates, representing Sam Nhlengethwa, William Kentridge, Sue Williamson, Lisa Brice as well as the estates of David Koloane and David Goldblatt. The gallery’s roster has expanded to include the next generation of artists from around the world as well as vital voices with roots on the African continent. This includes: Kudzanai Chiurai, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, Ravelle Pillay, Gabrielle Goliath, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Misheck Masamvu, Kapwani Kiwanga, Grada Kilomba, Kiluanji Kia Henda and Chemu Ng’ok alongside established names such as, Ghada Amer, El Anatsui, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and Candice Breitz.

Goodman Gallery has a long history of supporting social responsibility projects in South Africa. Over the decades, the gallery and its artists have supported NGOs such as the Red Cross, Orange Babies Foundation and Witkoppen Clinic, with a focus on providing essential medical care to women and children. This year sees the launch of several new pillars around social responsibility focused on communities, conservation and social impact. In March 2024 the gallery launched a new project space with Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve to initiate dialogue with leading artists and experts around sustainability and conservation. This is coupled with commitment to bring clean water to Acornhoek, following an initiative funded by the gallery in 2023 to provide a solar water pumping system to KwaLangakazi Village enabling them to receive safe water for the first time.

Goodman Gallery maintains two footholds in South Africa – opening in Johannesburg in 1966, followed by Cape Town in 2007 and London’s Mayfair in 2019, and opening a viewing room in New York’s Upper East Side in 2023