SEASON'S GREETINGS

Dear friends 

With the year rapidly drawing to a close, it remains only for us to thank you all. We managed again to present 65 exhibitions by over 100 artists – a mind-boggling average of 5.5 shows a month between all our galleries!  We hope each, in their own way, inspired a little bit more curiosity or empathy or wonder or mystery in your lives.

Certainly it was a great privilege to collaborate with each and every artist and their studios and support technicians. The high degree of professionalism and dedication in all our artists’ work, from conception to manifestation, as well as their commitment to authentic expression augurs extremely well for the continued expansion of the visual arts in South Africa. It remains a critical entrepreneurial industry in a country riven with unemployment.

While humble in scale, I believe getting better at telling our stories can have a profound  impact on our sense of ourselves as a people and help us have insights into the human condition.  Already I suspect that we, as South Africans, punch above our weight in this regard, having so many stories to tell, and having the luxury of the freedom of expression.

And all of it is made possible principally by the support of private individuals. There is basically zero institutional support in South Africa, so a big thank you must go to all of our collectors who continue to sustain our endeavours. You are literally keeping thousands of creatives alive through sponsoring crucial aesthetic, philosophical and intellectual dialogues that we hope will be their own reward. 

Enjoy the festive and hopefully restful season! We will be back next year with renewed vigour and a full programme.  

Charles Shields

Group CEO Everard Read

Everard Read Johannesburg will be closed from 20 December 2024 and reopen 6 January 2025.