DORP STRAAT GALERY

Die Dorpstraat Galery is situated in the historic Dorp Street in Stellenbosch. Dorp Street was earlier referred to as “the wagon road to the Cape” and is regarded as the oldest residential street in South Africa. Since the late seventeenth century buildings in all major architectural styles were built along the street from the Drostdy (now the Theological Seminary) at the east end to Oude Rozenhof at the west end. Dorp Street is characterized by its oak and plane trees, Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian buildings and is bustling with pubs, cafes, restaurants, antique shops and museums.

The Gallery was founded by Christine Smith, a well-known Stellenbosch potter, in 1984. It was originally situated in Kolonieshuis (the Colony House) which dates back to 1694, built originally by the Dutch East India Company as a dwelling for its employees. It remained as an official residence through three administrations: the VOC, Dutch Government and English Colonial Government until it passed into private hands in 1830. Christine moved to Wales in 1991 and sold the Gallery to Countess Isabel Rozwadowska Brown, of French Polish decent who married a fruit farmer from Elgin. When the Brown family relocated to the South of France in 1996, the Gallery was acquired by Ilse Schermers Griesel, on her return from five years in Amsterdam, in partnership with Stephen Finnemore from Jonkershoek and Susan Ollemans from BCI Fine Art and La Chine des Ching in Johannesburg. In 2000 Ilse became the sole owner and worked in conjunction with her mother, Roena Griesel, previously Director of the South African Association of Arts, Pretoria.

In December 2005 the Gallery briefly closed it doors, and officially re-opened at
144 Dorp Street on 10 March 2007. Ilse has been joined by Piet Snyman who returned to South Africa after spending 14 years in London as a Publishing Director.

Die Dorpstraat Galery specializes in solo and group exhibitions of contemporary South African artists. Exhibitions take place on a regular basis, and feature art in all the different mediums: painting, graphics, sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, installation art, etc. Applied and decorative art is displayed in an ever changing collection. The Gallery is also responsible for managing The Gallery at Grande Provence, Franschhoek.