Dates: 9 August – 15 November 2025
Walkabout: 13:00 on Saturday, 9 August 2025 in celebration of Women’s Day
Venue: 1st Floor Main Building, Oliewenhuis Art Museum, 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein
On the arm of every woman… inspired by an exquisite collection of vintage handbags, explores the evolution of female empowerment through handbags and art.
In celebration of Women’s Month, multiple departments of the National Museum, Bloemfontein, have collaborated to present an innovative exhibition, on display from 9 August 2025 at Oliewenhuis Art Museum. This unusual curatorial approach creates fresh visual narratives by combining historical handbags with contemporary and classical artworks.
The exhibition features a thoughtfully curated selection of beautifully crafted artifacts and artworks, overseen by three female curators. The selection draws from the prestigious collections of Oliewenhuis Art Museum, Art Bank of South Africa, and textile collections from the National Museum’s Collections Management and Library Departments.
Titled, On the arm of every woman…, the exhibition employs a dual narrative strategy that captures the essence of female evolution and empowerment. The central focus—handbags ranging from delicate historical reticules to bold contemporary designer statements—demonstrates how this accessory has transcended its practical origins. Initially reflecting women’s domestic roles, the handbag transformed dramatically in the post-war era, establishing a new relationship between women and their possessions: power became something to be carried, not merely worn.
Complementing the exquisite handbag collection, carefully selected artworks from Oliewenhuis Art Museum and Art Bank South Africa’s contemporary collections explore compelling concepts of female identity and the systematic empowerment of women. This tri-institutional collaboration thoughtfully addresses broader discussions surrounding domesticity, consumerism, liberation, and female agency.
The exhibition invites visitors on a transformative journey, exploring how a simple accessory came to carry the profound weight of identity, independence, and social change. The title reimagines a familiar saying with new significance: a woman no longer needs a man on her arm—she carries the tools, symbols, and truths of her own journey, with the handbag serving as a marker of her success and autonomy.
As part of the Nationa Museum’s Women’s Day celebrations on 9 August 2025, a walkabout of the exhibition will be conducted by the curators, Sudré Havenga (HOD, Collections Management and Library Department), Ester le Roux, (Curator, Oliewenhuis Art Museum) and Yolanda De Kock (Acting Project Manager, ArtbankSA) at Oliewenhuis Art Museum at 13:00.
Light refreshments will be served.
The exhibition can be viewed until Sunday, 16 November 2025. Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein and is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays between 09:00 and 16:00. A ramp at the entrance provides access for wheelchairs, while a lift provides access to the first floor. A R10 parking fee will be charged, payable in cash only, but entrance to the museum is free.
For more information please contact the Museum at 078 968 4300 or oliewen@nasmus.co.za. Stay up to date by following Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and X for all upcoming exhibitions and events.
