Caroman Museum

The Caroman Museum is a museum in Cape Cross dedicated to the life and works of painter Caroman.

History of 4 Hunt Street
The House was built around 1785-90 in central Cape Cross, with the rear facing Hargreaves Place. There is little on the history prior to the 20th century, except that it was a very luxurious rowhouse. In 1918, it was bought by Mr. and Mrs. van Gallen, and with the husband's death it passed onto his wife Lucretia. During the German Invasion of Brunant, Caroman went into hiding, staying at this house. Here he began to do paintings with hidden messages aimed at assisting the Underground Revolution. On several occasions the Nazis searched the house but could not find anyone. In 1944, the Nazis got ahold of one of his paintings and were looking out for him. On July 28, 1944 the SS stormed the house and killed all the occupants, including Caroman. In 1971, Lucretia's son (Joseph) donated the house to the city, who turned it into a museum

Collection
Joseph van Gallen, along with donating the house, gave several paintings, sketches and artifacts belonging to Caroman. Among the works included was The Black Widow, a painting of his mother valued at 850,000€.

Visiting the museum
The museum is open Monday to Saturday, from 10:00-18:00. The admission is €10 for children and €15 for adults.