David Krut Publishing,
Africa’s No 1 Arts Bookstore and Publisher

ART AND JUSTICE: THE ART OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA. Bronwyn Law-Viljoen of David Krut Publishing was present at Boekehuis on December 6 2008 when when Steven Sack,  Director of Arts, Culture and Heritage of the City of Johannesburg  spoke with Justice Albie Sachs, Judge of the Constitutional Court and driving force behind its art collection  about public art collections, in particular with reference to the collection of the Constitutional Court  as portrayed in a new publication ART AND JUSTICE: THE ART OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA. About the book: ART AND JUSTICE: THE ART OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA celebrates the artworks integrated into and publicly displayed at the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The Constitutional Court, the most important new building of South Africa’s peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy, is built on the site of a notorious prison that once held Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The award-winning building glows with extraordinary artwork and draws thousands of visitors to the site every year. Art and architecture are fused in the Court in an inspiring and innovative way, informing visitors that they are in a place where the constitutional principles of human dignity, equality and freedom reign. . Essential to the original design of the Court by the was the integration of art and architecture into the building. To achieve this, the architects and the Court’s artworks committee organised national competitions for designs for doors, security gates, carpets, sunscreens and lights, as well as for art installations in key parts of the building. The work of artists and craft collectives now incorporated into the building as a result of this process, gives the building a vivacious, humanised character and testifies to the diversity of the people whose rights the Court defends. The integrated artwork that constitutes part of the fabric of the building is complemented by a striking collection of moveable art on view to the public. This collection was initiated – with few resources but much support from the art community – while the Court was still in temporary accommodation. Now proudly installed in the new building, it has taken shape around several key works by artists such as Dumile Feni, William Kentridge, John Baloyi, Marlene Dumas, Gerard Sekoto and Judith Mason. Paintings, sculpture, works on paper or made with fibre, beads, neon or river mud, are to be found throughout the building. They bid the visitor welcome to what US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has described as the most beautiful court building she has seen anywhere in the world. Art and Justice: The Art of the Constitutional Court of South Africa is a companion volume to Light on a Hill: Building the Constitutional Court of South Africa. There are daily tours of the art collection of the Constitutional Court. Saturday Voices is a series of readings and discussions by authors at Boekehuis.

Keywords: Art and Justice, Constitutional Court of South Africa