Immerse yourself in paintings and sculptures from prestigious South African artists at an exclusive private villa on the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in the Western Cape.

For lovers of South African contemporary fine art, Villa 1 at the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is a dream brought to vivid life. The villa is co-owned by Frank Kilbourn, chairman of Strauss & Co Auctioneers, and an enthusiastic collector of fine art. Kilbourn has been collecting art since his student days, so has a keen eye for quality pieces and the villa is home to his private collection.

He doesn’t mind confessing that there are particular paintings he’s partial to, many of which are by renowned painter Cecil Skotnes. ‘There’s one in the passage that was commissioned for me for my 40th birthday. It brings a nice personal dimension to the villa for us.’ Two Skotnes’s above the wood-burning fireplace in the lounge embody the ethos of life at the villa. ‘The works are a combination of a landscape, a seascape and an interior, which pulls everything together that the villa stands for. When we built the villa, we tried to make the building as unobtrusive as possible. It’s very calm, very quiet. The interior is restful and understated.’

This little patch of the Cape is known for its unique biodiversity and breathtaking fynbos. The villa’s panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass windows allow you to take this all in from any room you happen to be in. A series of works by Walter Meyer are a homage to the ebbs and flows of nature on the reserve, depicting the mountainside after a devastating fire in 2008. “It was important to include these works to situate the house where it is. In the mountains, next to the sea,” Kilbourn tells me.

In the dining room, Hardy Botha’s triptych ‘Sirkus Karnaval’ provides intellectual diversion, Kilbourn says. ‘In my mind, it’s one of the most important works he’s ever painted. It’s a nice conversation piece. We’ve spent many hours discussing what’s happening there.’

The Kilbourn Collection ticks all the boxes you’d expect of a body of work curated and displayed in this distinctive part of the world, and it epitomizes one man’s passion and inimitable taste for exemplary local fine art.

While you’re there, don’t miss out on visiting the Grootbos Florilegium on the reserve. It houses a new collection of botanical paintings, an important conservation record of over 400 species of fynbos.

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Review by Matthew McClure.
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Read more about the new Florilegium in our Journal.

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