the art of AIDS

Marilyn Martin

Until retiring in October 2008, Marilyn Martin was the Director of Art Collections at Iziko Museums of Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to her appointment at Iziko Museums in 2001, Marilyn served as the Director of the South African National Gallery for eleven years. In both capacities she was crucial in raising awareness about the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa and in acquiring important AIDS-related work by South African artists for the nation's art collection. 

Marilyn has curated exhibitions that originated in, or travelled to, South Africa, Mali, Denmark, France, Brazil, the United States, and the Canary Islands. She has contributed essays to fourteen books about art, and co-authored Picasso and Africa (SANG, 2006). Before beginning her career in the museum sector, Marilyn was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. In 2002 she was admitted to the French Legion of Honour at the rank of Officer.