Goodman Gallery has been at the forefront of contemporary art for nearly six decades, championing artists who inspire social change and offering a platform for critical dialogue. Founded in Johannesburg in 1966, during South Africa’s apartheid years, the gallery played a pivotal role in challenging exclusionary policies by exhibiting artists of all races, many of whom are now recognised as pioneers of 20th-century African art.
In 2008, Liza Essers took over as owner and director, ushering in a new era of expansion and evolution. Under her leadership, Goodman Gallery has grown from a preeminent South African gallery to a global force, with spaces in Johannesburg and Cape Town, a London location in Mayfair, which opened in 2019, and a New York location on the Upper East Side, which opened in 2023. The gallery’s artist roster continues to evolve, featuring a dynamic group of internationally acclaimed artists and emerging talents from Africa’s Diaspora and the broader Global South, whose work engages with urgent issues.
Since the 1980s, Goodman Gallery has been a regular exhibitor at Art Basel’s international fairs, reinforcing its position as a key player in the global market. It was also in this period that the gallery expanded its focus beyond South Africa, beginning to represent leading artists from across the continent and beyond.
Goodman Gallery is led by Liza Essers, alongside Olivia Leahy across Cape Town and Johannesburg, Jo Stella-Sawicka and Roger Tatley in London, and Sarah Durning Cope in New York. Together they are fostering a vision that is both deeply rooted in its history and forward-looking in its ambition.
A LEGACY OF SOCIAL IMPACT
Since its founding in 1966, Goodman Gallery has been deeply committed to social justice. And since Liza Essers’s takeover in 2008, the gallery has contributed to supporting NGOs and local charities that address critical humanitarian causes, from education to healthcare in South Africa. The gallery’s partners include globally recognised organisations such as the Red Cross, as well as impactful grassroots initiatives in Africa like Lalela, which provides innovative art education for youth from under-resourced communities in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
As part of Goodman Gallery’s ongoing commitment to driving positive change, it has used the gallery as a platform to raise awareness and funds for key partners working to improve lives.
In 2023, the gallery took a big step towards sustainability by funding a solar-powered water project to provide the 3,500 people of KwaLangakazi Village with safe, flowing water for the first time. The project also enabled young community members to be trained in skills that will help maintain the water systems and find employment. This marked the beginning of a new chapter focused on climate action and addressing the direct impact of the climate crisis on the Global South.
Goodman Gallery also launched a curated art space in 2024 in collaboration with Cheetah Plains, the leading eco safari experience in the Sabi Sands Nature Reserve, South Africa. The partnership is committed to raising awareness for conservation programmes and grassroots initiatives that empower local communities, further reinforcing our dedication to meaningful social impact. The exhibition programme highlights artists whose work touches on sustainability and human impact on the environment.
Explore our Social Impact Projects
The gallery has played a pivotal role in positioning its artists at the forefront of critical discourse, championing voices from the Global South, its diaspora and beyond. Goodman Gallery has expanded its programme to include a dynamic roster of artists from across these regions. It was also the first to present Yinka Shonibare on the African continent and has introduced leading Latin American artists to African audiences, reinforcing shared histories and global intersections. The gallery has become a vital space for museum curators and scholars, serving as a leading repository for critical conversations on the Global South, colonial legacies, migration and identity.
Beyond its exhibitions, Goodman Gallery’s impact extends through curatorial partnerships and initiatives that broaden awareness and foster exchange. Notably, the gallery provided founding support, alongside the David Goldblatt Legacy Trust, the Goldblatt Family and Wits Historical Papers, and to The Photography Legacy Project in South Africa, contributing to the preservation and visibility of historically significant photographic archives.
Three major curatorial initiatives anchor the gallery programme: IN CONTEXT, which explores place and belonging; South South, a platform connecting artists and institutions across the Global South; and Working Title, a group exhibition hosted by the gallery, as part of its continuing efforts to support young and independent artists and curators.
IN CONTEXT is a curatorial strand within Goodman Gallery’s programme that explores the dynamics and tensions of place, with particular connection to the African continent and its diaspora. Since its inception, the series has served as a critical platform for dialogue, introducing international artists such as Joël Andrianomearisoa, Kader Attia, Wangechi Mutu and Mickalene Thomas to South African audiences. A landmark moment in the series was ‘Africans in America’ (2016), co-curated by Hank Willis Thomas and Liza Essers, which coincided with the Johannesburg edition of the BLACK PORTRAITURE[S] conference.
‘Standing in the Gap’ (2023) marked the first IN CONTEXT exhibition hosted by Goodman Gallery London, bringing together artists and artworks that make suppressed or erased histories visible, bridging generational and geographical gaps through a range of powerful, research-driven practices.
South South is a key part of Goodman Gallery’s ongoing commitment to fostering networks and dialogue across the Global South. As a platform developed within the gallery’s programme, South South has hosted groundbreaking exhibitions such as ‘VEZA’ and ‘I Draw, Therefore I Think,’ featuring artists from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. These digital and physical exhibitions expand access to new markets and audiences, while offering critical perspectives that challenge dominant art world narratives. Through South South, Goodman Gallery continues to support cross-regional collaboration and spotlight voices shaping contemporary art across the Global South.
VEZA 02 at SP–Arte in São Paulo
Working Title is a curatorial platform within Goodman Gallery’s programme that supports experimental, interdisciplinary and process-led practices. It offers space for artists to test ideas, shift direction and engage critically with contemporary issues outside traditional commercial frameworks. Exhibitions have included ‘Daydream Factories’ featuring Tabita Rezaire; ‘The Night Journey’ with Nolan Oswald Dennis; ‘No One Would Have Believed’ with Gabrielle Goliath, and ‘I’ve Known Rivers’ with Sam Nhlengethwa and Simnikiwe Buhlungu. These projects span performance, sound, research and installation, and often involve collaboration across disciplines. Through ‘Working Title’, Goodman Gallery nurtures risk-taking and dialogue, foregrounding voices that are reshaping the landscape of contemporary art.
