The Johannesburg Art Scene from the 60's to the 90's
Gallery 101 Johannesburg
Three galleries in one city - Rand Central, Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, Hollard Street
History of the Gallery 101 Group, Johannesburg, 1961-1973
Gallery 101 Rand Central
Mme. Fernande Marie-Louise Haenggi (1904-2000) emigrated from Switzerland to South Africa in 1954. Between 1959 and 1961 she was one of three partners in the Queens Hall Art Gallery, Johannesburg (her partners being Rosa Lipschitz, later known as Lady Rosa Lipworth, and Frankie Rubenstein).
In Johannesburg's then prime commercial city centre, Cyril Hofman had just completed his new multi-storied building Rand Central at 165 Jeppe Street, off Eloff Street, long before regional shopping centres had been built.
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On 5th April, 1961, Gallery 101 opened their doors on the first floor of Rand Central, in room 101 and 103. Adjoining its premises was the Head Office of the Progressive Federal Party with constant to and fro by all PFP leaders. On the ground floor was the Chesa Coffee Bar, well-frequented by artists, critics and passers-by; next to it Percy Tucker had just started his Computicket show services.
The first three equal partners of Gallery 101 were Mme. Fernande ML Haenggi, her eldest son Fernand F. Haenggi, and Heidi Güttinger, a silent partner who by the end of 1961 was paid out.
By the end of 1962, the first floor premises were extended to room 105.
The gallery activities expanded at such a rate that by September 1965 a ground floor and basement gallery were added, designed by Lionel Crawford, and presenting specifically fine crafts. Edoardo Villa was commissioned to do a door handle to the ground floor entrance to Jeppe Street.
On view were ceramics by Esias Bosch, Tim Morris, Andrew Walford as well as by Gordon Vorster and Marie-Hélène Albrecht, gold jewellery by H Peter Cullman, silver and other jewellery by Margaret Richardson, Tessa Fleischer, Johann van Heerden, Egon Wegrostek, Eone de Wet, Peter Davis, Renée le Roux, Sandra Rosenberg, Pauline Hurwitz, Edoardo Villa, Zeca Mealha, batiks by Louis Steyn, articles in mohair and karakul from the Transkei Hilmond Weavers, the Royal Lesotho Tapestry Weavers, Rorke's Drift, Thabong Kopano and others, as well as fine paintings and graphics by artists from South Africa and Moçambique. The ground floor and basement gallery also carried selected Cape and Transvaal antiques, as well as selected Spanish antiques, art glass from Murano, large ceramic jars from Fasano and modern cutlery from Sweden, designed by Folke Arström for AB Gense.
Fernand F. Haenggi, who until now had only been involved part-time in running the gallery's administration and finances and doing related work, such as calling on artists around the country, became as from 1st January, 1966 fully involved in all gallery aspects, moving out of his merchant banking environment.
As from 1st November, 1967, the Gallery 101 Boutique was opened in the foyer of the arcade, showing in particular Mizzi designed suede fashion.
In February, 1969, Gallery 101 extended their premises on the first floor to rooms 106 and 107, bringing the total space covered on the first floor alone to 2500 sq. feet. In addition, there was a large storage and framing department on the second floor, as well as administrative offices.
This could not have been done without the great support received from the staff, who included in senior positions and at various times Joyce Fourie and Mattie Koz, Polly Leibbrandt and Stanislawa Skolimowska. Other staff in the 3 branches during that period that come to mind include Bertie du Plooy, Sheila Baxter, Chris Crake, Paul Poppe, Frank Horley, Steffanie Vögele, Heidi Gärtner, Cecily McFadyen Grant, Mrs Jacobson, Ms Bloom, Mme. Lüthi, Vanessa Cooke, Barbara Wilkinson, Beverley P., Moses Bee, Mark Mambo, Linton and Green Kgope.
In addition, during this period, Michael L. Sims and later Rex B. Grey took an interest in Gallery 101 and joined as co-directors and shareholders.
1970 saw the opening of the Hyde Park and Hollard Street branches of Gallery 101, necessitated by changing habits of the gallery's main clientèle due inter alia to the development of suburban shopping centres, such as the Hyde Park Corner Centre and developments in Rosebank and Sandton to the north of the Johannesburg city centre.
The list of artists, painters and sculptors, graphic artists, ceramic artists, jewellers and others handled by Gallery 101 includes nearly every important artist in South Africa.
In addition, over the years, many solo exhibitions of the gallery's artists were organised by Gallery 101 and shown in other centres in Southern Africa such as Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Kimberley, Windhoek, Gaborone and overseas in Milano, New York, Canada and other venues.
Galleria Montenapoleone in Milano showed works by Ernst de Jong during February, 1964, and abstract paintings by Otto Klar during October, 1964, followed by sculptures of Zoltan Borbereki during November, 1964.
Exhibitions organised in Windhoek included Gordon Vorster (opened on 7th March, 1966 by G. Collins) and Walter Battiss (opened on 21st March, 1966 by Olga Levinson). Exhibitions organised in Kimberley included Gordon Vorster at the William Humphreys Art Gallery which was opened on 27th April, 1965, by Mr George Zouves.
Exhibitions in New York included a joint exhibition of works by Gordon Vorster and Jan Dingemans and others at a the William Bloom private gallery in Bay Shore, Long Island, N.Y., which opened on 4th July, 1964, and also included works by Judith Mason, Fred Schimmel and batiks by Louis Steyn.
In collaboration with Gallery 101, Richard Lacey held his first solo show of large sculptures on his farm outside Johannesburg, which opened on 8th April, 1967.
Images of Gallery 101 Rand Central, 165 Jeppe Street, Johannesburg, and staff
Please click on images for better view and details!
5th April, 1961 - opening exhibition
1966 - extensions on first floor - ill. in "Artlook" Johannesburg, March 1969, p. 6
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1966 - ground floor extensions
1966 - basement extensions
1969 - Joyce Fourie - main gallery custodian
Gallery 101 Hyde Park
Johannesburg city centre was becoming less attractive in many respects, potential clients preferred to do business in the North, thus the directors of Gallery 101 decided to open a branch in the new spacious Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, on the upper floor over 3 large inter-leading spaces. This branch operated as Gallery 101 Hyde Park from 3rd March, 1970 until end of July, 1972, after which it became Gallery 21.
Gallery 101 Hollard Street
The new high-rise building of the Standard Bank's Head Office next to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange - then situated at Hollard Street - was designed by Prof. H. Hentrich from Düsseldorf in collaboration with Hans Bergs from Johannesburg. It was an ideal venue to open a branch to cater for the generally more conservative taste of stockbrokers and people in the financial world. With a booming stock exchange, those clients found it more and more difficult to get to Gallery 101's main gallery at Rand Central, only 20 minutes away! This branch operated as Gallery 101 Hollard Street from 21st May, 1970 to the end of 1973.
Conclusion
Was it justified to run three branches of a gallery business in the same city? Considering that at that time there were more than 3.5 million people living in Greater Johannesburg, and that it was the commercial centre of South Africa with a corresponding flow of potential clients from abroad, one could have thought it justified.
However, the tremendous stress on the directors and management of the Gallery 101 Group resulting from various fundamental changes in Johannesburg and the ensuing disagreements about exhibition policy as well as administrative bottlenecks resulted in one of the gallery's then directors, Rex B. Grey, acquiring Fernand F. Haenggi's interest in the group, who in turn took over the Hyde Park Corner premises and carried on as Gallery 21 for his own account, as from 1st August, 1972 and at various addresses, until the end of 1993.
Likewise, Mme. Fernande ML Haenggi left the Gallery 101 Group at the end of 1973. As from 1st January, 1974, she ran the Hollard Street Branch for her own account (Madame Haenggi Gallery) until the end of October, 1976. Thereafter she carried on in partnership as "Chris Crake Madame Haenggi Gallery" until April, 1977. She returned to Switzerland in April, 1982.
Gallery 101 had thus operated under the original management as one of Johannesburg's leading galleries, from 1961 till 1973.
The remaining Rand Central gallery was now owned by Rex B Grey, a well-known U.S. businessman and collector, and was managed by Gia Lindstam until its final closure on 31st March, 1977.
Gia Lindstam and Mme Haenggi in 1973.
Further information available from the archives held in Basel
Should you require any further details or photographs about artists who exhibited at Gallery 101 on solo or group shows at Gallery 101, please contact us and we shall be happy to assist where possible.
This page last updated 19th December, 2016
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