The Museum is one of Johannesburg's premier Tourist Attractions, along with the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill. It is part of the Wits University Cultural Precinct, just three blocks from Nelson Mandela Bridge. Wits Art Museum or WAM is in the hip, regenerating Area of Braamfontein, which is also Home to many students, interesting Shops and Places to eat. The WAM Cafe is a fun place to meet friends and enjoy delicious food and coffee.
History of Art is an inherently interdisciplinary field of Academic enquiry that begins with looking closely at images and objects. The stories they tell give us insight in the lives of their makers, viewers and users, as well as the spaces and times in which they are rooted.
In a World powerfully shaped by the visual, a Degree in Art History provides the skills to Understand, Critically Analyse and Intervene in the Visual World and its impact on how we think and act. “…we live in a visual world, and the ability to process, analyse and conceptualise complex primary and secondary sources into coherent narratives; to confidently and clearly synthesise and re-present ideas; to assess the quality and reliability of information; and to have a grasp of several Centuries of human success and failure through the media of their artistic and cultural endeavours are increasingly invaluable.”
(Matt Lodder)
History of Art, Department that started in 1974. With a focus on Multimodal Teaching, Learning, and Research. Wits History of Art is committed to deepening, extending, and complicating traditional Understandings of the discipline, engaging the conditions of our Postcoloniality, and contesting the politics of the visual. This Department is a leading Teaching and Research Department in African Art, Photography and Curatorial Practice. A Wits Postgraduate Training will prepare you for careers: in Advertising, Arts Journalism, Curating, Museums, Archives, Picture Research, Filmmaking, Galleries and Auction Houses, Teaching, Art-Making, Heritage, Academia, Cultural Tourism, Government and Non-Governmental Sectors.
History of Art is one of the Cornerstones of an Arts Degree, complementing disciplines such as Anthropology, English, Archaeology, Philosophy, and Sociology as well as professional degrees including Fine Art, Dramatic Art, Digital Arts, and Film and Television.
Wits Art Museum is Home to an extraordinary collection of African art, including Contemporary and Historical Aart from South Africa and art from West and Central Africa.
Operating Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday, 10h00 - 16h00.
Entrance is free and donations are welcome.
Closed on public holidays.
