Roslyn Sulcas, the New York Times arts reporter and South African, was dispatched to get the local perspective on the announcement that the Zeitz Collection would be building a permanent home in Cape Town, South Africa:

The announcement came as a surprise to most of the South African art world, said Kim Stern, an art consultant and curator who divides her time between South Africa and New York. “I think they have been building this collection for a while with this in mind,” she said. “They are big purchasers, they buy the whole show.” Ms. Stern said the development was a positive one for Cape Town, and that the museum had the potential to become the most important collection of contemporary African art worldwide and an international tourist attraction.

“You need cultural centers in emerging cultures like South Africa,” she said. “Realistically, here, the government has other priorities. What’s behind this is corporate, which is probably the only way it could have happened.”

While the grain silo is being renovated, works from the Zeitz Collection will be on show in a temporary pavilion at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The first exhibition, which opened on Saturday, features the work of the Swazi artist Nandipha Mntambo.

New Cape Town Museum to Focus on Contemporary African Art  (NYTimes)