All the Exhibition Events on at the Wits Art Museum

The Wits Art Museum is a leading university art museum in Johannesburg, dedicated to showcasing African art. The collection includes over 18,000 African artworks showcasing African artwork ranging from historic to contemporary, and the museum has an active exhibition and education programme. Here’s everything you need to know about the exhibition and walkabout schedule.

What’s on at the Wits Art Museum

Wits Art Museum Hentie van der Merwe's Na De Jongh (Farm in the Cederberg) After De Jongh (Farm in the Cederberg). Oil paint on offset lithograph | What's on in Joburg — Na De Jongh (Farm in the Cederberg) / After De Jongh (Farm in the Cederberg). Oil paint on offset lithograph

Hentie van der Merwe’s After de Jongh

After de Jongh explores Hentie van der Merwe’s relationship with personal identity, cultural inheritance, and the enduring presence of history through painting.

Drawing inspiration from Bloekomlaan (Avenue of Gum Trees) by the Dutch-born South African painter Tinus de Jongh (1885 – 1942), Hentie van der Merwe revisits an image deeply embedded in Afrikaner visual culture and collective memory.

The exhibition opens on Wednesday, 1 July led by poet and arts writer Johan Myburg.

Cost: Free entry

When: Opens on Wednesday, 1 July 2026 at 6pm for 6.30pm. Thereafter, the exhibition runs during the Art Museum’s opening hours, which are: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Where: Wits Art Museum, University of the Witwatersrand, Cnr Jorissen and Bertha St, Johannesburg

1976 at 50

16 June 2026 marks 50 years since the Soweto uprising, and the anniversary presents an important opportunity to reflect on the events of that time and their impact on our lives today.

The two bodies of work featured in 1976 at 50 offer additional perspectives to the extensive existing visual imaging of the Soweto uprising. Silent Witness, a short film by independent South African filmmaker Kevin Harris is created from his archival footage and testimonies and is structured through historical interviews with people who witnessed the devastating events of 16 June 1976.

Wits 76 is a substantial photo essay by cinematographer Paul Laufer, who was the Chief Photographer in 1976 for Wits Student newspaper, and includes images of schools in Soweto taken for a newspaper assignment in late May 1976, and photographs taken a few weeks later in Braamfontein of Wits students protesting in support of the Soweto school students.

Cost: Free entry

When: Opens on Tuesday 19 May 2026 at 6pm for 6.30pm. Thereafter, the exhibition runs until 20 June during the Art Museum’s opening hours, which are: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Where: Wits Art Museum, University of the Witwatersrand, Cnr Jorissen and Bertha St, Johannesburg

NOW IS NOT FOREVER by Theresa-Anne Mackintosh

NOW IS NOT FOREVER marks the first comprehensive institutional survey of Mackintosh’s practice. The exhibition brings together sculpture, painting, and archival material spanning more than three decades, focusing on her exploration of the human figure and psychological states through form. Central works include the iconic Tina figures, fibreglass effigies, ceramic baby sculptures, and new bronze and steel sculptures.

The exhibition is opening on Thursday, 9 April 2026 at 6pm for 6.30pm, and the first walkabout is on Saturday, 11 April 2026 at 12pm and will be led by the artist. The walkabout provides insight into Mackintosh’s artistic process, the conceptual development of her fictional bodies, and the dialogue between painting and sculpture in her practice.

Cost: Free entry

When: Opens on Thursday, 9 April at 6pm for 6.30pm. Thereafter, the exhibition runs during the Art Museum’s opening hours, which are: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Where: Wits Art Museum, University of the Witwatersrand, Cnr Jorissen and Bertha St, Johannesburg