On a weekday afternoon in Johannesburg, the doors of Goodman Gallery are open in the way they have been for decades. Inside, a new exhibition by Hank Willis Thomas fills the space. For Liza Essers, it is a familiar kind of milestone.
Hes actually the first artist that I took on when I took over the gallery, she tells me. Weve been working together for about 17 years.
Theres something fitting about that continuity. As Goodman Gallery approaches its 60th anniversary, the story is not only about longevity but about the accumulation of relationships, decisions and positions taken over time. These relationships have shaped what the gallery has become six decades into its existence.
