PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Plett is no stranger to the finer things in life, especially on the art front. Come next Friday, the town will have a new art gallery curated by a renowned South African art connoisseur.
"We are excited to announce that we're establishing an art gallery at Sky Villa and we're thrilled to introduce Michele Bestbier, the director of Art Source Africa, as the curator of the gallery," said Paul Duverge, managing director of Raw Africa Boutique Collection (formerly Cape Summer Villas Boutique Collection).
The Gallery@Sky, which will be situated at the Sky Villa Boutique Hotel, will feature a fine mix of artists from the Garden Route, plus a taste of art from Johannesburg, Cape Town and beyond.
Art on display will offer a cross section of mediums, from painting, etching, photography, mixed medium and pastel art to hand-carved block printing and more.
A sculpture garden is also taking shape, and there are plans to run monthly art events including a mix of art workshops, musicians, local wines and special menus.
The launch of the new gallery is scheduled for 18 February and will include a wine tasting, live music by saxophonist Jaco Kriek and a special dinner menu for those who would like to stay beyond the launch.
"The artworks for the launch of the new Gallery@Sky will be carefully selected to enhance the ethos of this superb hotel, and hopefully will give Sky Villa's guests great pleasure, and delight and surprise both art novices and the more sophisticated collectors," Bestbier said.
Some of the artists to be featured at the opening collection are Dallas Smith, John Moore, Malcolm Solomon, Brendan Leggat, Guy Thesen, André van der Merwe, Des Kleineibst and Beezy Bailey.
Bestbier is an independent art advisor and broker, originally from Johannesburg, where she consulted to large corporate and private collections.
She also owned an art gallery, Gallery@157, which highlighted up- and- coming and leading South African artists.
About 15 years ago she sold the gallery and moved to Plettenberg Bay, where some eight years ago she created an "art map" of artists of the Garden Route and Klein Karoo areas.
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