The New Norval

Inside the Cape Town museum that’s democratising the world of high art

- Julian Treger

The place

The just-opened Norval Foundation is a fantastic and differentiated addition to the Cape Town cultural landscape, confirming the city’s position as South Africa’s pre-eminent arts hub. Located opposite the American embassy in Steenberg, the space consists of three 2 700-square-metre floor plates tucked within a quiet modernist box that lets the art do the talking – no dominating starchitecture here. It is surrounded by a beautiful, Keith Kirsten-landscaped sculpture garden, including water features.

The architecture and interiors

Although the exterior, by dhk Architects, is deliberately bland, the fun starts outside the entrance with a major Edoardo Villa black sculpture - The Last to Arrive - greeting visitors. Once inside, patrons are lured forward by beautifully textured concrete surfaces and op-art inspired striped curving walls into nine separate galleries. The architects have also maximised the mountainside views and there is a vast outdoor terrace that will be hugely popular come summer.

The art