Gallery Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-4pm; Saturday 9am-12:30pm
Gallery Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm, Closed Saturdays & Sundays
Sea Shallows
by Renee Leslie
Acrylic on canvas
1540 x 1200 mm Framed
Natural Light Ash Box Frame
R42,400
PREMIER COMMERCIAL ART GALLERY IN DURBAN
Fine Art, Prints, Conservation Framing & Restorations
Celebrating almost five decades of passion and expertise, the Elizabeth Gordon Gallery is proudly nestled in an elegant Edwardian house on Montpelier Road, near the bustling Florida Road. As one of KZN's premier commercial art galleries, we've curated a rich collection of original works, showcasing both the established and the emerging voices of South Africa's vibrant art scene.
Our gallery, while focusing on local talents, also embraces the diversity of the African continent, featuring capHugh templatetivating works from Sudan, Zimbabwe, eSwatini, and Mozambique.
Every art piece within our gallery is thoughtfully framed in our on-site workshop, where we merge conservation techniques with contemporary trends, tailoring each frame to best enhance and protect the art it carries. At Elizabeth Gordon Gallery, we strive to create a world where art and audience connect in a profound narrative of creativity and knowledge.
Featured Artworks
by Suraya Tewary
An Ordinary Place
Oil on Canvas
1740 x 17400 mm framed
Light Oak Natural Shadow Box Frame
R38,500
We’re pleased to share a new work by Suraya Tewary. Known for her thoughtful, layered compositions, Suraya continues to explore themes of memory, resilience, and the quiet spaces we return to for solace.
This large-scale oil painting evokes a serene, dreamlike landscape - an imagined memory, gently rendered in soft tonal layers. Trees sit quietly on the horizon, anchoring the viewer in a space that feels both familiar and distant.
In the artist’s words:
“An Ordinary Place speaks of remembered spaces, of renewal, communion and a way of holding and taking ourselves back to moments of safety and peace. It is an intuitive process, as I listen to my work which directs me and my process. My many layered mark making, intentionally soft to keep the balance of my own existence and offer the viewer a place of solitude and contemplation.”
The work forms part of her broader exploration into how we process conflict, uncertainty, and the emotional landscapes that follow. An Ordinary Place offers a moment of calm - a space for reflection, stillness, and connection.
Featured Artworks
by Hugh Mbayiwa
Heavy Seat 1
Acrylic on Board
700 x 800 mm Framed
White Box Frame
R8,400
Heavy Seat 2
Acrylic on Board
700 x 800 mm Framed
White Box Frame
R8,400
There’s a certain weight to sitting. Not just physical, but emotional - a pause in the day, a shared conversation, the labour of rest.
In Heavy Seat 1 and Heavy Seat 2, Hugh captures that pause with remarkable clarity. Women sit, bend, turn - anchored in their tasks, held by their chairs, their clothing, each other. The scenes are full of colour and rhythm, yet grounded in stillness.
Presented as a pair, these works speak of everyday rituals - of community, of care, of presence. Hugh's textured surfaces and bold patterns don’t shout; they settle. Like a person easing into a seat after a long morning.
Both pieces are framed in crisp white box frames that lift the work, giving it space to breathe - perfect for contemporary interiors.
These are paintings that hold space.
There’s a kind of reverence in Bruce Backhouse’s brush - a quiet listening to the land. In Parched SA Landscape, he draws us into the silent vastness of the Northern Cape, just outside O’Kiep. This is not a landscape of spectacle, but one of stillness—where light settles gently and time feels slow.
A warm, coppery sky stretches across the canvas, pressing down on ochre-dusted hills and scrubland dotted with stubborn green. The painting’s palette is subtle and true - earthy rusts, soft olives, and sun-bleached golds - speaking to a place shaped more by erosion than by flourish. Bruce’s forms are grounded and gestural, echoing both topography and memory.
CONSULTATIONS
Ask us anything, anytime!
PACKED FOR DELIVERY
All works are expertly packaged for delivery by courier
7 DAY APPRO
Need to see whether a certain piece suits your space?*available for Durban area only
CONSULTATIONS
Ask us anything, anytime!
PACKED FOR DELIVERY
All works are expertly packaged for delivery by courier
7 DAY APPRO
Need to see whether a certain piece suits your space?*available for Durban area only
Featuring
Durban Artists, South African Artists, African Artists
Gallery Services
Art Consultant
Art Framing Shop
Fine Art Prints
Art Restoration Services
Frame Restorations
Deliveries
About The Gallery
The Elizabeth Gordon Gallery stands proudly as a beacon of sophistication, culture, and artistic knowledge in KwaZulu-Natal. This leading commercial art gallery, birthed from the combined passion and foresight of Gordon Lowings and Elizabeth Johnstone in 1976, has served as a platform for both eminent and emerging artists for almost fifty years.
Its journey, much like the evocative tales told through the artworks it houses, has seen the Gallery inhabit various spaces in Morningside, Durban, reflecting the dynamism and vibrancy of the art world. In July 2024 the gallery moved to its new home in Montpelier Road, remaining close to the buzzing and fashionable Florida Road.
This unique location encapsulates the essence of the Elizabeth Gordon Gallery — a blend of rich tradition and progressive creativity, inviting patrons from all walks of life to discover, learn and connect with the compelling world of African art.
About the Owner
As the dynamic owner of Elizabeth Gordon Gallery since 2000, Joy Reynolds has been a central figure of the gallery's evolution since 1989, and has been instrumental in curating exhibitions and offering expert art consultations to clients in their homes and offices.
Joy's foray into the art world began at the young age of 23 at the original Neil Sack Gallery, formerly nestled at 490 West Street, Durban. This vibrant initiation provided an invaluable foundation for her future endeavors, as she absorbed the creative energy of the flamboyant Neil Sack and the sage wisdom of Gordon Lowings.
Life's journey took Joy from Durban to Johannesburg with her young family, even leading her abroad for a period. However, the magnetic pull of the art world guided her back to Durban in 1989.
Upon her return, the Elizabeth Gordon Gallery, founded by Gordon Lowings and Elizabeth Johnstone - another alumnus of the Neil Sack Gallery - had already established its reputation. When Gordon decided to retire and Elizabeth moved to the UK in 2000, Joy took the helm. With a deep respect for its legacy, she has proudly sustained the name of the esteemed Elizabeth Gordon Gallery.
Joy's passion and commitment to the world of art remains at the heart of the gallery's vision, cultivating a welcoming environment that inspires a deeper understanding and appreciation for African art.
Premier KZN art gallery in Durban specialising in South African fine art.
Featuring Durban artists, South African artists, and African artists.
Paintings for sale in Durban at Elizabeth Gordon Gallery.
We have a range of South African art prints available in our Durban art gallery at
148 Montpelier Road.
We deliver in South Africa and internationally.
© Elizabeth Gordon Gallery 2025