- Max Michaelis
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Sir Maximilian Michaelis (11 May 1852 Eisfeld, Germany - 26 January 1932, Zurich) was a South African financier, mining magnate, benefactor and patron of the arts.
Michaelis received his early schooling in Nuremberg where he is said to have developed his love of old masters.
His first arrival in South Africa dates back to 1876 when he landed at Port Elizabeth. Two years later he had moved to Kimberley, drawn by the 1871 discovery of diamonds and the prospect of wealth. Here he became a close business associate of Julius Wernher and Alfred Beit and got to know Hermann Eckstein and J.B. Taylor - friendships that were to last a lifetime. He was co-opted by Wernher to deal in diamonds for Porges and Wernher, and in the 1880s restructured the Cape Diamond Company. He was a founding partner of Wernher, Beit & Co. Within some years he had become manager of the Central Mining and Investment Corporation in Johannesburg. From 1896 he worked at the Corporation's offices in London and remained there until 1919, when he returned to South Africa. In England he led an extremely secluded life on the country estate, Tandridge Court in Surrey. Unlike the other Randlords, he was not given to lavish entertaining and spending, avoided the press, did not have an opulent London mansion and despite desiring a baronetcy, was not socially ambitious. With the outbreak of World War I and the anti-German hysteria that gripped England, Michaelis acted on a suggestion by General Smuts that he return to South Africa.
Max Michaelis and his wife arrived in Cape Town in 1919. In December of that year a grand civic reception for 2 000 guests was given in his honour.
In 1913 he had presented a collection of Dutch and Flemish old masters to the Union government, a gift leading to his being knighted. These formed the basis of the Michaelis Collection and were housed in the Old Town House in Cape Town. The decision to house the collection in Cape Town, came in for a great deal of criticism - public sentiment at the time was that the money had originated from the Reef gold mines and that the collection belonged in Johannesburg. Besides, a lot of the works were regarded as being of indifferent quality (Portrait of a Woman by Frans Hals being the cynosure of the collection) and there was at least one painting of questionable attribution. These works had been collected by Lady Phillips (wife of Sir Lionel Phillips, Bt) and Sir Hugh Lane. In June 1920 at the urging of Lady Phillips, he endowed the chair of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town and in return was rewarded with an honorary LL.D. He also donated a large number of art works to museums in Kimberley and Johannesburg.[1] In 1924 a knighthood was conferred on Max Michaelis. He died of cancer in Zurich in 1932.
The Old Town House where the Michaelis Collection is exhibited. Cape Town, 2008
Lady Michaelis, who returned to England on the death of Max Michaelis, presented large collections of art to the National Art Gallery in Cape Town and to Pretoria, with further gifts to the Michaelis Collection in Cape Town. She was also the founder of the Lady Michaelis Orthopaedic Home in Cape Town. Moses Kottler created a bronze bust of Sir Max, which was placed in the garden of the Old Town House in Cape Town.
In 1920, Max Michaelis acquired the Montebello estate in Newlands. Before his death in 1996, his son Cecil Michaelis, the artist, resenting government expropriation of the estate, donated Montebello to the University of Cape Town on condition the estate was used to promote design - this is now known as the Montebello Design Centre and the old residence as Michaelis House, the junior boarding house of the South African College Schools.
Montebello is a Section 21 Non Profit Company. It is a busy craft and design centre, visitors love it,[citation needed] studios have a sense of ownership over it, people talk under the camphor trees, attend classes, make products - it has survived 16 years.
Our vision is to create design solutions for Africa, while recognizing that the goal of design is to enhance the value of life-respecting• Cultural and social diversity-despite globalisation
• Bio-diversity-enhancing global sustainability and environmental protection
• Intellectual diversity-across different knowledge systems.
Our long- term goal is to create a centre that is:
• For Africa-seeking creative strategies and solutions to enhance the quality of life in Africa
• From Africa-looking to the wealth of indigenous design ingenuity in Africa, as a limitless resource to create contemporary design for an African and global market.
At present the first stage of this long term vision is in place with a craft centre housing production studios, shops, teaching and research, a nursery, a restaurant and an organic deli/cafe. The aim of the project in its first phase is to promote good local craft and design and use craft for job creation.With the exception of some outreach projects the activities of Montebello Design Centre happen on site at the centre in Newlands. The centre’s staff and studio occupants conduct the activities.
The Montebello shops are open 7 days a week. The restaurant, nursery and organic deli are open 6 days a week. The studios are open (with varying hours) from Monday to Saturday. The public are free to browse informally. Classes happen every weekday both during the day and in the evening. Special interest tours can be arranged at any time, and many schools participate.
The greatest resource of the centre is the prime land and historic buildings the project occupies and has the use of. These were donated to the University of Cape Town for the purposes of the project. They provide an enabling environment with which creative people can work and craft and design can be promoted. The other great resource of the centre is the human resource of people within the studios.
They represent a considerable skills bank of creativity, design and craft skills, which the centre is able to use to further its objectives by encouraging and facilitating:
- apprenticeship teaching and training,
- outreach programmes
- marketing and promotion of quality craft
Contents
Projects
Amongst the projects currently at Montebello are:
The Montebello Shop
A well-stocked general craft shop that supports good local craft with a special interest in products made from waste materials and weeds. These include items made from glass, fabric, metal, paper and alien vegetation, some so ingeniously well made that their origin as waste is not always apparent. It promotes good local craft and design and use craft for job creation, cultural and social diversity, sustainability and environmental protection
The Montebello Craft Shop’s objective is to provide market linkages for many township and rural craft projects and individuals. It aims to break even on its administrative and staff costs and profits put back into expanding craft and design marketing opportunities to more projects and individuals.
Mielie Shop and Workshop
A job creation project for township women, that designs and manufactures off-beat handbags, accessories and home-ware products from recycled materials. All their products are made by hand and do not require expensive machinery, thereby creating as many jobs as possible. They use traditional techniques-such as crochet, knotting, beading and hooked rugging, often in new and unconventional ways. This project also promotes good local craft and design and use craft for job creation./ sustainability and environmental protection.
Kunye
A job creation project for township and rural people that designs and makes funky homeware and accessories handmade from recycled, found materials as well as sustainably harvested materials. Due to space requirements this project does not work at Montebello at present but their stock is sold in the Montebello shop.
Alien Vegetation Project
This project makes garden furniture and fencing from an alien invasive wattle called Port Jackson, which depletes the water table in the Western Cape. The Department of Water Affairs has an ongoing campaign to eradicate Port Jackson, and Montebello has also been involved in assisting their secondary industries programme, with other job creation projects using alien vegetation.
Right Mukore Right creates unique wooden and stone sculptural works of art. Right comes from Shoshe in the Masingo province of Zimbabwe. He first developed an interest in art at the age of 13 and in 1994 enrolled in the school of art at Konimara. Right has been practicing his art for 20 years and is now working at Montebello. He creates unique pieces. He had an uncanny ability to see into the heart of a branch or trunk and see a personality inside. Come and see for yourself how he brings the personality to life.
Beloved Beadwork
Beloved Beadwork produces intricate, beautiful pieces of wearable beadwork using complex weaving techniques and high quality glass. Launched in May 2009, Beloved Beadwork makes and sells the designs of Anna Richerby, a beadworker and Anthropology graduate from the UK. The team comprises a socially diverse group of expert beadworkers who work from home. They use unusual stitches, intricate colour schemes, and glass and thread sourced from Japan, the Czech Republic, India and the USA. Their aim is to push the boundaries of the beadwork tradition in Cape Town, and to produce distinct, original pieces of work which can be considered 'wearable art'. Their interest also lies in contributing to a transformed and ethical craft sector which develops good creative skills and enables a high quality of life for all its members.
Sitali Jewellers'
Sitali specializes in custom designed jewellery with precious metals and stones. It is also a pilot site for the UCT /Cape Tech/Mintek Hot Platinum jewellery alloy design initiative. The opportunities for beneficiation of raw materials have traditionally not been taken advantage of in South Africa. This is especially true in areas such as the jewellery industry, where value adding precious metals and stones, has great potential for wealth creation. This is a wasteful situation and one that the project aims to redress. Another project within Sitali is developing a range of wood and gold jewellery with a group of bushman from the Northern Cape.
The Fragile Cultures Music Project
This is an audio visual research and outreach project engaged in recording the musical heritage of Southern Africa.
A and C Maps
This studio produces maps for the Cape Towns crafts and design routes as well as numerous other maps promoting regional heritage and culture.
Product Programme This is a craft outreach programme assisting township and rural crafters with product development , business skills and market linkages. Within the South African context craft is one of the few ways in which people lacking adequate formal education opportunities can earn at least a partial living. Until recently no notice was taken of the craft sector, which revealed itself in the last census as being the third largest employer of people (after the public sector and agriculture).
Ikwezi Art Centre
Established last year,[when?] the centre offers an opportunity for township artists to interact with the public. It sells original township art and artists work on site.
There are also other studios most of which offer tuition and training or apprenticeship:
- Brenda Parker Jeweller
- The Forge (original hand-forged items)
- Weave (hand woven textiles)
- Louise Gelderblom Ceramics
- Nienke’s Ceramics
- Alma Vorster (etching, monoprint, linocuts)
- African Ethos (African musical instruments)
- Lesley Charnock (artist)
- David Krut Publishers (art books etc)
- Beloved Beadwork (high quality beautiful beadwork)
- Right Mukore (stone & wood sculptures)
Gallery
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Old Town House, Cape Town in 1878 -
Portrait of a Woman by Frans Hals -
Lady Michaelis by Edward Roworth
Notes
External links
Categories:- 1852 births
- 1932 deaths
- Businesspeople in mining
- Randlords
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