The face of the University of Pretoria : a critical investigation of selected portraits in the UP Art Collection

Abstract

An institution’s unique identity and culture can be constructed and communicated through the artworks (such as portraits) that it collects, commissions and inherits. As a representation, not only of the identity of the sitter portrayed, but also of various social types and stereotypes circulating in particular cultural contexts, a portrait is an especially powerful visual manifestation of the ‘invisible’ identity and culture an institution aims to establish and maintain. This dissertation explores what the portraits in the University of Pretoria’s Art Collection reveal about this Institution’s values, reputation, identity and culture. The research focuses on the official, commissioned portraits of University officials, as well as portraits in the Collection by Erich Mayer. The main aim of the study is to investigate the discourses that are articulated through the selected portraits by considering the various meanings they convey. Furthermore, this dissertation investigates the ways in which their explicit and implicit meanings might support or negate the University of Pretoria’s envisioned institutional culture and identity. The study argues that artworks in the UP Art Collection that have contentious subject matter and histories need to be rehabilitated and renegotiated in creative, innovative ways, because artworks in the Collection are treasures that provide various benefits to the Institution.