Uplifting the Colonial Philistine

Uplifting the Colonial Philistine is a thoroughly researched, fascinating account of the unusual circumstances in which early Johannesburg, then a budding mining town, came to have an art gallery with one of the most avant-garde collections in the world. It describes the larger-than-life characters who brought the Johannesburg Art Gallery to its grand launch in November 1910: Florence Phillips, wife of one of the Randlord patrons, and Hugh Lane, curator. Containing 100 colour reproductions from the original catalogue, this book unravels the complex intertwining of personal and socio-political agendas that made up the fabric of the founding. It describes how the collection was perceived in London, whether it was adapted to suit the 'colonial Philistine' (as one London critic described its intended audience), and how the local community responded.