Van Wouw Museum

Run by the University of Pretoria, the Van Wouw Museum is a Dutch national monument and is home to a collection of the Dutch-born sculptor, Anton Van Wouw’s work. Van Wouw’s moved to Pretoria from the Netherlands in 1880 and his first commissioned work (ten years later) was a statue of Paul Kruger, the State President of the South African Republic, which still dominates Church Square today.

His work is very perceptive of the people of South Africa and he would go to great lengths to capture their expressions and moods. The Thinker, The Laughing Basutu, The Shangaan, The Skapu Player, The Hunter Drinking and The Sleeping African are just some of the 64 works one can see in the museum. The house also contains photographs and documents relating to the artist’s life.

Van Wouw loved the outdoors and nature and the house depicts this with a lush garden and ornamental pool.