Leigh Leyde

Leigh Leyde is an art specialist at Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house. She joined the company in 2021, working within the research team as a cataloguer, writer and editor — bringing with her over a decade of experience in curatorial practice, arts education and research.

Leigh holds a Master’s degree in African Art History from the University of the Witwatersrand (2011). Her career thrived at the Wits Art Museum (WAM), where she served as Education Curator for more than ten years. During this time, she developed and implemented the museum’s first comprehensive education programme, engaging students and public audiences through innovative outreach and academic initiatives. Her time at WAM deepened her passion for African art and expanded her extensive knowledge of artistic practices from across the continent, both historical and contemporary.

Her curatorial work spans a number of significant exhibitions — including ‘Giving Direction: Figuration, Past and Present’  at Strauss & Co in 2022, a non-commercial survey examining shifts in figuration; ‘Writing Art Histories: Exhibition/Classroom’ at WAM in 2018,  a teaching-focused exhibition co-curated with Stacey Vorster; and ‘Activate/Captivate: Collections Reengagement’ at Wits Art Museum (2015–2016), a multi-disciplinary project that celebrated the museum’s collection and its role in inspiring creative research.

Leigh is also a published writer whose work has appeared in catalogues and various publications, including; ‘Giving Direction: Figuration, Past and Present’ (2022), ‘One Colour at a Time: Contemporary Screenprints Catalogue’ (2017) and ‘Seen, Heard, Valued: 40 Years of the Standard Bank African Art Collection’ (2022).

Motivated by a commitment to meaningful contribution within the South African arts sector, Leigh brings curatorial insight, fundraising initiative, academic rigour and strong communication and project management skills to her various pursuits.