An art gallery to honour the memory of Bhengu as well as a Museum telling a storey of the Khuze & Bhaca people, indigenous to the region & the Trappists
Gerard Bhengu was born on 6 September 1910 in Centocow; he was the eldest of four and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith on this mission station. As a young man Bhengu suffered from tuberculosis and was treated in the medical clinic attached to the Centocow Mission. It was here that he was first encouraged to draw and paint by members of staff at Centocow, which finally resulted in further artistic training at Edendale Teachers Training College. Gerard Bhengu had a long career spanning from 1937 to 1988 just two years before his death on 26 September 1990.
Gerard Bhengu is now an internationally acclaimed artist and his artwork is represented in numerous public and private collections both locally and abroad. One of the remarkable features of Bhengu’s art is his portrayal of the lifestyle and customs of the Bhaca people around Centocow. As a result Bhengu’s art is also an important historical record of Bhaca culture.
The museum celebrates the unique combination of African culture, missionary Christian faith and the art of Gerard Bhengu. This has been achieved by restoring the first church at Centocow to accommodate a remarkable collection of artworks by Bhengu as well as an interesting collection of early photographs taken by the pioneering Trappist Monks. Mission tourism is not fundamentally a religious product as much as it is an opportunity to showcase human endevour in the context of History, Architecture, Art and Culture.
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