WORDS Jo Buitendacht
A collaboration between local creatives has made it possible to own a dash of Pierneef magic.
After buying a pair of socks featuring the Mona Lisa at an international gallery, Bianca Grobbelaar, the owner of small photography and product development company Rest Established, got thinking. Could South African art become functional and accessible, and be used to educate? From this small seed, an exciting partnership has bloomed into something way beyond a postcard.
Bianca has been a lifelong fan of South African master Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, so his work was an obvious place to start. Pierneef, perhaps our leading landscape painter, was known for his distinct style and immediately recognisable acacia trees. Sixty-five years after the artist’s death, his work is still in great demand. Case in point: in 2021, Strauss & Co’s Pierneef-centred auction was a wild success, raising R24.5-million.
With this popularity in mind, Bianca approached the La Motte Museum in Franschhoek. The museum hosts the Pierneef heritage collection, which includes 45 of the artist’s creations.
Bianca and La Motte’s curator Elzette de Beer began developing a product range that would honour the original artworks but bring them alive in a completely new context. They then collaborated with FOUND. Collection, Love That Space and Zuyda van Dyk Bespoke Jewellery to create clothing, furniture and jewellery inspired by – and featuring – carefully chosen Pierneef paintings and linocuts.
While we are mad about the new Pierneef collection in general, the jacket created in conjunction with fashion label FOUND.Collection is a monochromatic showstopper. Intricately beaded, it is available in three variants, each featuring one of three of the artist’s works: Rooiberge, Bloekombome or Wilgerboom in die winter.
Our furniture favourites, conceived with Love That Space, include the tallboy cabinet, the graphic side tables and the short server. These incredibly detailed pieces are limited-edition, with an engraved number, and come packaged like an artwork.
We don’t all have the means to buy an original Pierneef oil – but this exciting project provides an opportunity to own a crumb of his creativity.
For more information, visit thevoicecollective.co.za
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