Oliewenhuis Art Museum

Oliewenhuis was built in the 1940s as a residence for the head of state when in Bloemfontein, a large sandstone house on the slope below Naval Hill, and it became an art museum in 1989 as a satellite of the national collection. The house holds South African art from the nineteenth century onward, hung in domestic rooms rather than galleries, which changes how the work reads - portraits over fireplaces, landscapes in bedrooms. The grounds are the other half of it: roughly ten hectares of gardens with a sculpture trail, indigenous planting, birdlife and a restaurant, and the Reservoir - a converted municipal water reservoir on the site - used for contemporary and installation work that will not fit in the house. Entry is free, which is unusual for a museum of this standard, and Bloemfontein tends to be passed through rather than stopped in.

What to look for

• The house hang - South African art in domestic rooms rather than white galleries.
• The sculpture garden - a trail through ten hectares of planted grounds.
• The Reservoir - a converted water reservoir used for contemporary installation work.
• Free entry - a national-standard collection with no admission charge.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the garden. Two hours. Closed on some public holidays; the Reservoir keeps shorter hours.

Practical notes

The house layout means small rooms and a fragmented route. Bloemfontein summers are hot and the garden is exposed. Some contemporary shows are short-run - check what is up. Restaurant hours are limited.

Nearby

Naval Hill and its reserve are directly above; the city centre is south.