Published 11 November 2025 in Insights
Change.org
Stop the Closure of Irma Stern Museum Petition
By Gabriel Brown
Change.org
The Issue
We Call You To Arms Again - To Keep Irma's Home and Collection Together: The first battle to protect Irma Stern’s home and collection was fought in the 1960s. Over 60 years ago, Irma’s friends, colleagues, and staunch supporters waged a public campaign to persuade her Trustees to keep The Firs and her collection together — as she intended.
Now, in 2025, history repeats itself. Once again, her Trustees seem to claim it is in the best interests of her legacy to tear apart her collection and home. We cannot allow this to happen. Do not sit on your hands — stand up now in your time in history! Join us and make sure Irma’s home remains warm, magical and open to the public, while her vision, and legacy remain whole.
Let's meet up and chat - Thee BIG- ISM Day Thursday 13 Nov @ 3Pm
SAVE THE IRMA STERN MUSEUM:
Where: Nedbank Auditorium, Nedbank Building, Clock Tower, V&A Waterfront
When: Thursday, 13 November @ 15:00 (Just a stone’s throw from Zeitz MOCAA)
Easy parking available here
News Break: we have launched Friends of Irma Stern Museum on Public Facebook in order to receive news and information, here.
Donations: The money donated to Change.org although very worthy does not come to us. Please find our FNB Account details on our Facebook Account to assure your donation lands in the right, accountable hands. or email us at [email protected]
We call on the Irma Stern™ Trust to provide transparency and accountability regarding the future of Irma Stern's The Firs and the Collections.
Irma Stern stipulated in her Will that on her death, which occurred in 1966, her collections (which included her own artworks as well as all her artefacts) were to be administered by a Committee of Trustees. These same Trustees entered an administrative agreement with UCT on the 11th of June 1969. The agreement resulted in Irma Stern's home, The Firs, opening in 1972 as the Irma Stern Museum.
For the last 50 years, the Irma Stern™ Trust and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have run The Firs as the Irma Stern Museum. The same Trust agreement provides for the return of the property (The Firs) to the Irma Stern™ Trust under the same conditions that allowed UCT to acquire it in 1969. Upon the dissolution of this management agreement, the Irma Stern™ Trust receives the property back for R1.00 plus costs.
The dissolution of this agreement was announced in a recent press release issued jointly by the Marketing Department of UCT and the Irma Stern™ Trust.
In a sale of 124 Irma Stern™ Trust works via the June 2022 Strauss & Co sale, a sum of R24 million was raised. These proceeds were earmarked for conservation of the artworks in the collection.
We would like to know the following from the Irma Stern Trust :
1. Where did the R24 million in proceeds go after the sale? How much was spent on administration and payment of dividends? How much does the Trust hold in assets and money at present?
2. Is the House and estate still in the Trust's name, or has all or parts of it already been sold off? If so, can the Trust explain how this was beneficial to Stern's Will?
3. Furthermore, what are the Trust's future plans to promote the life and legacy of Irma Stern, which includes Stern's home and her Estate?
4. No artwork or collection is to leave the Museum until SAHRA(South African Heritage Resources Agency), HWC (Heritage Western Cape) and the National Department of Arts, Culture and Sport resolve the matter.
5. That the Irma Stern™ Trust undertakes to renovate and restore The Firs/Irma Stern Museum to the highest conservation standards so that the Irma Stern Museum once again can welcome back visitors and safely accommodate the Irma Stern™ Collection administered by the Irma Stern™ Trust.
We also call upon The Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton Mackenzie, the Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Mr Ricardo Mackenzie, the Mayor of Cape Town, Mr Geordin Hill-Lewis to intervene, and the Cape Town Heritage Foundation and as many Art, Culture, Heritage aficionados and supporters of the Irma Stern Museum to sign and share this Petition.
The goal of this petition is to hold the Irma Stern™ Trust accountable and foster due process and public participation regarding the future of the Irma Stern Museum (The Firs) and the Irma Stern™ Trust collections.
For further information, questions and support email Gabriel: [email protected]
To view or sign the Petition please navigate to the Change.org website here