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South African arts, art galleries and best artists in South Africa shown by province. Each has its own history, culture, geography, and something special to offer visitors. Much of the artwork you will see here at amacoola.com reflects these different characteristics. As you explore South African art and artists you will get to know so much more about our beautiful country … whether living inside or outside South Africa.
Enjoy it!!
Please note that our short descriptions of each province do them no justice, and serve only to touch on some of what makes each, and their endless sub-regions, so special. In time, we will endeavor to provide you with links to other websites that offer more detailed info.
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Western Cape
Probably the premier tourist attraction in SA, attracting 50% of the countries international visitors. This beautiful province lies at the south western tip of Africa, home to Cape Town. The cold Atlantic ocean meets the warm Indian ocean at Cape Aghullas, the southernmost tip of Africa. 4.5m people make it the 5th largest population.
Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, is where the European seafarers arrived in the late 15th century. The flat-topped Table Mountain looks down on beautiful beaches & bays like Clifton, Camps Bay, Llandudno, Sandy Bay (for the nudists), Hout Bay, Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay; a wide variety of great restaurants; the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and it’s working harbour; Robben Island where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned for many years; and the rugged Cape Point Reserve at the tip of the peninsula.
Cape Town allows easy access to the winelands (Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl); the Garden Route (including Knysna and Sedgefield); the Central and Klein Karoo; the West Coast (Paternoster, Elands Bay); the Breede River valley; the delightful seaside resort of Hermanus; and … route 62, the Klein Karoo wine route from Montagu to the Langkloof in the east. |
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Northern Cape
Find the best art and artists originating in the Northern Province, the largest province with the smallest population. Think … wild, untamed, remote, harsh, dry. As the most arid part of the country, it offers seemingly infinite spaces, few people, beautiful lava mountains, the Orange river (bordering with Namibia), and the magnificent Kalahari desert. The last remaining true San people (bushman) live in the Kalahari.
Home to Kimberley’s ‘Big Hole’ and alluvial diamonds off the West Coast, the Namaqualand and its wild flowers, and several national parks such as the Augrabies national Park, the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and the Richtersveld Transfrontier Park. The Northern Cape is a biodiversity hotspot, where 40% of the plants, birds and animals are found nowhere else on earth. The Augrabies Falls on the Orange river is the 6th largest waterfall in the world, situated not far from Upington, an oasis on the Orange … and the largest grape producing area in SA. The South African Astronomical Observatory is situated at Sutherland, taking advantage of the brilliant night sky. |
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Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape ... homeland of the Xhosa speaking nation; the 2nd largest of South Africa’s nine provinces; the birthplace of Nelson Mandela; home to Grahamstown’s annual National Arts Festival, the 4th oldest town in South Africa – Graaf Reinet, and … Supertubes, one of the best waves to surf in the world!
With Port Elizabeth as it’s capital, the Eastern Cape offers a wide variety of attractions ranging from miles and miles of beautiful beaches; great ‘malaria-free’ safari destinations, many of which now host the big five; the worlds highest bungee jump at the Bloukrans bridge; beautiful forests like Tsitsikamma; the rolling hills and valleys of the Wild Coast; SA’s only river port city … East London; as well as the vast arid hinterland of the Great Karoo. |
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Freestate
The Free State, at the geographic centre of South Africa, is the 3rd largest province with the 2nd smallest population. Producing 70% plus of the countries grain consumption, it is known as the ‘bread basket’. This province is also well known for its small towns and warm hospitality. Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa. Some of South Africa's best artists and art galleries are to be found in this region.
The Vaal river flows in the north and the Orange river in the south; the majestic Golden Gate Highlands National Park sits in the east; the Sandstone route runs from Clarens, past Fouriesburg and the Cherry Festival in Ficksburg, to Ladybrand; with Lesotho (the ‘mountain kingdom’) along the eastern border. The Free State marks many famous Anglo Boer battle grounds, as well as productive gold and diamond mines. |
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Northwest
This province of 3m people boasts the scenic Magaliesberg mountain range, the well known Pilanesberg and Madikwe wildlife destinations, and the Sun City and Lost City entertainment resorts. Alongside tourism, mining of platinum, gold, uranium and diamonds are a mainstay of the economy. Mafikeng is where the 1900 seige took place in the Anglo Boer war, and the Hartebeespoort dam provides a great venue for water sport.
The North West province is home to ‘mampoer’ country, made famous by the author Herman Charles Bosman and the stories in and around Groot Marico. It was in the North West that the Taung Skull was discovered by Dr Raymond Dart, and where you’ll find the Vredefort Dome, a world heritage site where a large meteorite fell. |
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Kwazulu Natal
The Zulu Kingdom provides a combination of subtropical coastline, majestic mountains and dry savannah. While having the biggest population of all the provinces (9m plus), it also boasts a vibrant Indian culture, the busiest port in Africa … and South Africa’s busiest holiday destination.
Durban, the holiday and economic capital, offers some of the best surfing in SA … not to mention perennial fishing. Pietermaritzburg is inland and displays some lovely old Victorian architecture. KZN is home to many famous battlefields where the Zulus fought the Boers, the Boers fought the British, and the British fought the Zulus. Two world heritage sites are to be found in KZN – the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park north of Durban, and the Ukhlamba Drakensberg Park inland from Durban and part of the beautiful Drakensberg mountain range (known to the Zulus as the ‘barrier of spears’). KZN is also home to many game parks, with the world famous Imfolozi-Hluhluwe Park where a dedicated effort has seen the white and black rhino restored to respectable numbers. |
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Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga boasts some of South Africa’s finest game reserves and parks. Apart from the draw of the Big Five, Mpumalanga also offers mountains and rivers … full of trout! Although a province with only 3 million people, tourists abound – drawn by the wildlife, panoramic vistas, some of the world’s oldest caves, waterfalls, forests, and quaint villages.
Nelspruit provides a gateway to the Kruger National Park, as well as a centre for the subtropical fruit trade. Mpumalanga is home to the Ndebele and Swazi cultures; the many Sabi Sands game lodges alongside the Kruger; fly fishing in Dullstroom and Lydenburg; the gold digging history of Pilgims Rest; the beauty of the Blyde River Canyon; Bourke’s Luck Potholes; and … the scenic Route 40 past Barbeton, Bulembu, and Badplaas. |
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Gauteng
Find art, and artsis in Johannesburg, Soweto and Pretoria (Tshwane) ... where big business, culture, entertainment and arts intersect with the rest of Africa and the World. The mine dumps in Egoli (Johannesburg) serve as a reminder of the late 19th century gold rush, the township tours serve as a reminder of just how far Soweto has evolved from the early 1930 days of Orlando, and the 50,000 jacarandas brighten Tshwane (Pretoria), the administrative capital of SA.
Gauteng, small but densely populated (almost 9m people), has a cosmopolitan and vibrant multicultural atmosphere, complemented by possibly the best year-round weather in SA. Home to the Cradle of Humankind and Sterkfontein Caves where hominid fossils were discovered in the early 1900’s; the Hector Petersen Memorial, The Apartheid Museum; the Newton Cultural Precinct (includes the Market Theatre Complex); and Gold Reef City. |
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Limpopo
The ‘Great North’ province... big sky, wide open bushveld, safaris, and baobabs. The northernmost province of South Africa offers a gateway to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, as well as the northern Kruger National Park. Home to the Soutpansberg mountains (SA’s northernmost range) and the Waterberg, with their abundance of fauna and flora; as well as the natural hot water springs at Bela Bela.
No less than seven of SA’s official languages are spoken here, with Polokwane the capital city. The subtropical Olifants and Magoebaskloof valleys produce much of the tea, oranges, and tropical fruit grown in SA. Makapansgat is where relics of the Stone and Iron Age’s can be found, and is also well known for cherries and azaleas. Modjadji, home to the fabled Rain Queen, is where South Africa’s tallest cycads are to be found. |
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