Conference Venues South Africa | Conference Venues in Gauteng, South Africa | Conference Venues in South Africa

Gauteng Attractions, Conference Venues South Africa, History of Gauteng, Conference Venues Gauteng, Golf Tours, Gauteng Art Gallery, Gold Reef City, Lesedi Culural Village, Museum Africa

The idea to open an art gallery in Johannesburg was born In 1904 when Lady Phillips, wife of the first chairman of the Rand Mines Company, sold her 21-carat ring to purchase three paintings by Wilson Steer. She used her wealthy connections to purchase more artwork over next 5 years. Sir Edwin Lutyens was commisioned to design the art gallery and the Johannesburg Art Gallery came to being.

The Johannesburg art gallery has arguably the best international collection in South Africa, including works by El Greco, Picasso, Rodin, Dalí, and Lichtenstein. The gallery is situated in Joubert Park and secure parking is available.

The gallery also has a good selection of South Africa's best black artists, including sculptures by Venda artist Jackson Hlungwani and paintings by Helen Sebidi, Alfred Toba, and Gerard Sekoto. The rather boring Flemish and Dutch collections are more than made up for by the Brenthurst Collection of African Art, comprising curios plundered by European explorers in the 19th century, and later collections of traditional southern African artworks.

With its fully furnished miners houses, museum exhibits and the various gold mining artifacts; Gold Reef City is designed to be an authentic reproduction of Johannesburg in the years of the gold pioneers. A train circles the park enabling a quick perusal of the facilities.

There are many shops all of which are decorated in the "old" style of "brookie lace," with pressed ceilings. There is a "turn of the Century" Hotel where the style of the era is reproduced and the same "old" feel extends to the costumes of the staff as well as the style of restaurants and bars.

A popular attraction is the Gold Reef City Tribal Dancers who perform twice daily during the week, and three times daily at weekends. In addition to these appearances certain members perform the popular Gum Boot Dance and give a Marimba Show.

The park is built around the number 14 shaft of The Crown Mines. This shaft held the world shaft sinking record in 1969 when the sinking team drilled and blasted 77.5 meters through quartzite in 30 days. Gold Reef City offers visitors the opportunity to take a ride down this famous shaft. Every day a Gold Pour demonstration is held where a gold bar is smelted in an "arc" furnace and then cast into a bullion bar.

The Lesedi Cultural Village lies just 12 km north of Lanseria airport. Here you can experience the heartbeat of Africa in true bushveld surroundings. Visitors are offered the the opportunity to tour traditional villages of the Zulu, Ndebele, Sotho, Pedi and Xhosa and learn about their lifestyle and traditions.

A must-see for anyone who has not experienced African dancing is the Lesedi dancers with performances twice a day, everyday. A traditional African feast awaits you at the end of your visit and dishes from around the African continent are presented to the visitor. For artifacts and souvenirs, browse through the craft market. Overnight accommodations are also available.

At the Museum Africa you will find a variety of exhibits mostly pertaining to the rich history of Africa. Museum Africa is located at the Newtown Cultural Precinct in Bree street Johannesburg.

Museum africa has an impressive display of historic works of art, which will give you an insight into artists' impressions of the Anglo-Boer War. Geological specimens, paintings, prints, photographs and numerous objects from all corners of southern Africa are also on display. Allow yourself a couple of hours to fully enjoy all the displays that Museum Africa has to offer.