1. Aims of the Collection

The aims of the collection are

  1. To develop, maintain and curate a collection of work of demonstrable excellence and interest to the University, by South African and African artists and performers, giving particular attention to creative individuals and collectives with a UCT connection.
  2. To acquire and commission work of art, in some cases for display in buildings and spaces (having regard to the policy of spending 1% of the cost of a building on works of art to enhance it).
  3. Through appropriately curated exhibitions to expose members of the University to a politically and conceptually representative range of work by South African and African artists.
  4. To further the University’s transformation agenda.

2. Acquisition

2.1. Criteria for Acquisition

We collect works of visual and performing arts to further these aims whether by loan, purchase, commission, gift or donation, in the following priority order.

  • Major works, in terms of scope and significance.
  • Works of demonstrable excellence by SA and African artists and performers and by emerging SA and African artists, especially artists who have a UCT connection;
  • Site-specific work; and
  • Other work which contributes to the congruence of or redress identified imbalances in the current collection. 

Specific areas of collecting may be identified for attention.

2.2. Loans to the University

We encourage the loan to UCT of work that furthers one or more of the aims of the collection.

Offers of work for loan must be considered by the WOAC which will where possible seek the advice of the acquisitions sub-committee (see below). Any acceptance of a work on loan must be subject to a written loan agreement between the lender and the University. The financial and legal implications of accepting a loan must be considered. Every loan agreement must provide for the management, insurance and resource implications of accepting the loans and must specify

  • the conditions of the loan, and the term of the loan;
  • what insurance, if any, the lender has and/or will have in place for the duration of the loan; and 
  • what insurance obligation, if any, the University will have for the duration of the loan.

2.3. Acquisitions

We will acquire major works in terms of scope and significance. Subsidiary purchases may be made from the balance of annual funds, after careful consideration for the desirability of the acquisition.

Clear legal title is required for all art works permanently acquired. Title will pass to the University and not to any individual or organisational unit within it. At the time of purchase the WOAC will request 

  1. permission to create and publish images of the artwork; and
  2. a free licence for UCT to reproduce works for non-profit UCT purposes.

Any agreement with the copyright-holder (usually the artist) must be documented. As a matter of law and policy, and in general, copyright in each work shall remain the property of the artist, even when he work has been commissioned by the University.

All art works acquired by UCT (whether by or on behalf of the WOAC or not) will be accessioned into the University Art Collection register and added to the University’s asset register.

2.4. Donations of Work

We encourage donations to the Collection, provided these further its aims. The WOAC may accept or refuse offers, after consultation with the Development Office. Donations of work will only be accepted where the donor has legal title to the work and the donation is made on the basis of a total transfer from the donor to the University. 

A SA taxpayer may qualify for income-tax relief for work donated to the University.

2.5. Acquisitions Process: the Works of Art Committee’s Procedures for Acquisitions

The Works of Art Committee (WOAC) is a standing university committee. It receives budget appropriations for acquiring and commissioning work. Members of the WOAC will undertake with the assistance and guidance of the University’s Curator: to visit exhibitions, auctions, and art dealers in search of work which may be acquired; to identify gaps in the collection; and to identify artists and performers who should be represented in it, by purchase of work or by commissioned work. In the case of work to be acquired or commissioned as site-specific work (e.g. for a new building) the WOAC will consult, or include in such ad hoc committee, building users.

2.6. Other Acquisitions

The WOAC has authority over budget allocated to it. It does not have a monopoly on the acquisition of work for UCT from other sources, but it will advise other University entities planning to acquire work (by purchase or commission), taking account of the committee’s terms of reference. All University acquisitions will be accessioned as part of the collection.

2.7. Collection Management and Reporting

The WOAC will strive to ensure that the university curator, assisted by the/director and staff of the Irma Stern museum, maintains and displays the collection in accordance with national standards and conventions of museum conservation, handling, storage and security. It will ensure that display of works includes appropriate contextual information.

2.8. Collection Record Keeping

The WOAC will strive to maintain a complete record of the collection (including a catalogue containing digital images of all works, where possible at digital standards allowing for reproduction, location, and provenance and accession number) and make this available for study and research. Responsibility for collection maintenance and record-keeping rests with the University Curator, assisted by the Director of ISM. The University Curator will report at least annually to the WOAC on the state of the collection.

2.9. Hanging and Display of Works

The WOAC will determine where to hang/display work in consultation with the curator of the University, and may move work.

(a)    for exhibition; and/or
(b)    to different venues

as it decides from time to time, in order to further the aims of the collection.

2.10. Annual Reports

The WOAC must report annually on the collection, including details of acquisitions, collection maintenance, and record keeping to the Heritage and Collections’ Stewardship Committee.

2. Loans Policy

The WOAC may allow work form the collection to be made available for temporary exhibition in South Africa, subject to written agreement, detailing the terms of the loan and specifying insurance obligations on the borrower. Works from the Collection will be available for temporary exhibitions outside SA on approval by the WOAC, where the WOAC accepts the importance of the exhibition and is satisfied that the proposed loan agreement protects the University’s interests.

3. De-Accessioning Art Works

The Collection will be subject to periodic review by the WOAC. The following may constitute grounds for de-accessioning work

  1. duplication;
  2. damage or serious deterioration in condition;
  3. the possibility of upgrading by exchange;
  4. repatriation of cultural material;
  5. relevance to the Collections Policy;
  6. absence of clear legal title

No work will be de-accessioned without a majority decision of the WOAC and the approval of the Heritage and Collections’ Stewardship Committee of Senate after the submission of a Deaccession Proposal to the relevant body. Work identified for disposal will be valued by a recognised valuer and offered for sale or donation in the following priority order: (i) any public Art Gallery of South Africa; (ii) through an auction house; (iii) the artist of the work. De-accessioning and disposal of works or art will be undertaken by the Director of the ISM following approval from the WOAC.

Funds or compensation received from the de-accessioning and disposal of works of art from the Collection must be used solely by the WOAC for acquisitions.

4. Accountability

The WOAC is accountable for the implementation of this policy.