Zeitz MOCAA Receives Major Donation and Announces Christie's Benefit Auction for Cape Town Museum

The Centre for Photography at Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town's inaugural museum dedicated to contemporary African art, is set to open in September 2017, thanks to a substantial financial contribution from the Roger Ballen Foundation. This donation will also include pieces from the foundation's collection, prominently featuring the works of photographer Roger Ballen, which will become part of the museum's permanent collection. To raise additional funds, a benefit auction featuring artworks donated by global artists is scheduled for Christie's London on 8 March 2017 during the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Auction, with proceeds aimed at ensuring the sustainability of Zeitz MOCAA. Established in 2013 through a collaboration between the V&A Waterfront and collector Jochen Zeitz, the museum will be housed in the renovated heritage-listed Silo building, redesigned by Heatherwick Studio, under the guidance of chief curator Mark Coetzee. Notable artists contributing to the auction include El Anatsui, Yto Barrada, and Antony Gormley, among others. The endowment from the Roger Ballen Foundation will finance exhibition, programming, and educational initiatives for the photography center, which will carry the foundation's name.