Irma Stern Museum
The former home and studio of South African artist, Irma Stern, painter, sculptor, ceramicist and avid traveller.
Feature List
- Temporary exhibitions
- Education programmes
- Historic home
The Irma Stern Museum is the former home and studio of South African artist Irma Stern (1894-1966).
Born in 1894 in South Africa, Stern received her formative education in Germany where in her early career her work was exhibited to great success. She returned to Cape Town in 1920 at the age of 25 and “The Firs" – now the Irma Stern Museum – became her home and studio. Her first local exhibition at Ashbey's Galleries in Cape Town in 1922 was considered outrageous; people queued to see what was described as a shocking exhibition. It was only when she reached her late forties that Stern's work came to be highly regarded.
Some rooms in the museum have been preserved in their original form – most notably Irma's studio where her paintbrushes, easel, rags and painting overcoat lie as she last left them. Other rooms are more impressionistic – reflecting the character of the artist whilst housing temporary exhibitions that draw on the Irma Stern Museum holdings.
