Mark Coetzee (1964 – 2022) was a South African artist, curator, writer and historian.^[1][2] In 2013, Coetzee helped with the founding of the €35-million private contemporary art museum, colloquially known as the MOCAA^[3] with Jochen Zeitz.

In the 1980's, Coetzee studied at Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town, and the University of Paris-Sorbonne.^[4] In the 1990's he founded the Mark Coetzee Fine Art Cabinet at 120 Bree Street, Cape Town.^[5] The space was run as a kind of non-profit venture, subsidized by Coetzee to allow installation-based works, younger artists, and provocative subject matter which was near-impossible to show in commercial spaces at the time.^[6] Artists included:

• Jo O'Connor^[7]
  • Muscle (2002)
  • Before Swallowing(1998)
• Paul Edmunds^[8]
  • Scale (1999)
• Luan Nel^[9]
  • Paper 1997

In 2000 , Coetzee was funded by the National Arts Council to partake in a residency at the La Cite Internationale des Arts.^[10] It was here that he prepared an exhibition entitled "All our sons",^[11] held at AVA, 35 Church Street, which explored the pejorative names used to insult gay men.^[12] From 2000 to 2009,Coetzee became the director of the Rubell Family Collection^[13] He served briefly at the Palm Springs Art museum adjunct curator,^[14] but was soon appointed as the Program Director for PUMAVision and Chief Curator of PUMA.Creative.^[15]

In 2017, Coetzee spoke at the launch of the MOCAA ^[16] and served as the first Executive Director and Chief Curator and sat on the board (Ex Officio)^[17] of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town.^[18] On the 15 May 2018,^[19] the museum initiated a suspension from his duties ^[20] and he tendered his resignation in 2018.^[21] Coetzee passed away in July, 2022.^[22]