The Pretoria Art Museum, the city’s only public museum of fine arts, was opened in May 1964. Its permanent collection of artworks includes paintings, sculpture, graphics, tapestries, photographic prints and ceramics.

The Museum had its beginnings in 1930, when the Pretoria City Council, which had already acquired works of art for its official rooms, including masterpieces by Willem van de Velde the Younger, Jan van Goyen, Cornelis de Vos and Joachim von Sandrart, began the serious collection of paintings. In 1932 the City of Pretoria received an endowment from Lady Michaelis, with the other half of her collection going to the South African National Gallery in Cape Town. The donation included fifty-six pieces, and following this the Council continued with the regular acquisition of more pieces of fine art.

During the years of the Depression South Africa experienced serious financial difficulties, and surplus money was not readily available for the acquisition of art. Simultaneously, the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which had been established in 1915, had already successfully built up a fine collection of European art. Because its proximity to Johannesburg, and in order to avoid duplication, the City Council instituted a policy of supporting the work of South African artists, past and present.

In 1955, as part of the centenary celebrations of the city, it was decided to build a permanent art gallery, which resulted in the erection of the Pretoria Art Museum. Although early acquisitions showed a trend towards major South African artists the scope soon broadened to include young contemporary artists and new techniques. The work of black artists was included virtually from the onset, and two major Gerard Sekoto paintings were bought in 1964 and 1969 respectively. Despite this policy the museum still retained its link to European and English art by acquiring pieces from some of the great masters. These were mostly graphic in nature and included works by Paul Gaugin, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Kathe Kollwitz, Salvador Dali and Antonio Tapies. The museum also recognises the influence and importance of traditional or ‘classical’ African art and has collected pieces from West and Central Africa for their artistic and ethnographic value.

The museum has a policy of developing and managing all its art and historical resources in an innovative manner to the benefit the whole community. Collections, present and future, should reflect the cultural and artistic diversity of South Africa, and community input has always been considered vital. Through the involvement of the community the museum has hoped to promote visual literacy through the means of exhibitions. Collection, preservation and research with regards to art objects and architecture have always been considered a priority.