Major new Cape Town art museum to open in 2016

Museum will focus on contemporary African art

Cape Town will be home to the largest collection of contemporary African art on the continent when the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa opens at the V&A Waterfront by the end of 2016.

Named after the German entrepeneur and art collector Jochen Zeitz who is providing the museum’s extensive founding collection, the cultural institution will be housed at the 157-m high grain silo building which was constructed in 1921.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront development project is contributing about $50 million towards transforming the grain silo into a museum, and the project's architect is expected to be announced in February.

Zeitz is the former chairman of the sportswear company Puma, as well as a noted philanthropist and serious collector of contemporary African art. In addition to underwriting the museum’s running costs, Zeitz will provide a "substantial" acquisition budget.

On completion the nine-floor museum will comprise around 9,500 sqm dedicated to exhibition and education space.