WILLIAM HUMPHREYS ART GALLERY
Situated in the Civic Centre in Kimberley is a cultural oasis known as the William Humphreys Art Gallery – one of the finest galleries in South Africa. It displays 247 original drawings and engravings by French, Dutch, Flemish, English and Italian masters, including Annibale Carracci, Stefano della Bella, Sir Anthony van Dyk, Sebastian Bourdon and Guercino, amongst others.
Other exhibits include works of William Timlin, artist, member of Kimberley’s architectural fraternity, and founder member of the art section of the Kimberley Athenaeum.
The Timlin Collection is on permanent loan from De Beers and, together with the gallery’s own collection of his works, is the largest collection of Timlin’s work in South Africa.
Currently the gallery is concentrating on acquiring more South African artworks to further diversify its current collection and to reflect the South African artistic landscape more inclusively.
In addition to functioning as a gallery, it is a place of cultural education, offering art workshops (mainly for children), craft workshops for unemployed women, pre-school child stimulation classes, temporary exhibitions, lectures, presentations and concerts. There is also an outreach programme that takes art to children in small towns in the Northern Cape, to expose learners to the world of art.