Don’t Miss Out On Strauss & Co’s November Flagship Sales

Strauss & Co’s upcoming November Sales, taking place in Johannesburg on November 11-12, 2024, will feature outstanding works by a multigenerational lineup of celebrated South African artists, including Igshaan Adams, David Goldblatt, William Kentridge, Esther Mahlangu, Zanele Muholi, and Irma Stern.

The sales will consist of four sessions over two days, including two online-only sales ending on November 11, and two live-virtual auctions on November 12 at 5 PM and 7 PM. This event promises to showcase the finest in South African modern and contemporary art, featuring significant portraits by renowned artists such as David Goldblatt, Georgina Gratrix, William Kentridge, Zanele Muholi, George Pemba, Alexis Preller, Irma Stern, and Anton van Wouw. Additionally, notable works by Keith Alexander, Walter Battiss, Wolf Kibel, Esther Mahlangu, Nelson Makamo, Walter Meyer, J.H. Pierneef, and Athi-Patra Ruga will also be on display. A special spotlight sale will feature the Everard Group, showcasing works from four generations of women artists.

Alastair Meredith, Head of the Art Department at Strauss & Co, notes, “Our November sales in Johannesburg will be the crescendo of our busy sales and exhibition activities for 2024. The diverse consignment underscores Gauteng’s significance in the narrative of South African art.” Among the highlights is Anton van Wouw’s early bronze sculpture, The Art Student (1902), depicting a young Gordon Leith, estimated at R700,000 – R1 million ($39,570 – $56,515). This piece is accompanied by original architectural and figure study drawings by Leith, the architect behind Johannesburg Park Station.

Meredith adds, “Our modernist offerings include Irma Stern’s important Watussi Chief’s Wife in Yellow (1946), estimated at R4 – 5 million ($226,050 – $282,570), first exhibited in Johannesburg in 1947. A sale wouldn’t be complete without William Kentridge’s works. We’ll feature a self-portrait from 1985 (estimate R650,000 – 850,000 / $36,725 – $48,040), originally gifted by Kentridge to his long-time dealer Linda Givon, founder of the Goodman Gallery, along with a Kentridge drawing from his 1989 film Stereoscope (estimate R2 – 3 million / $113,010 – $169,510), consigned by Givon’s estate.”

The thematic sale Rough and Smooth: A Focus on Surface and Texture opens the live-virtual auctions, showcasing a tapestry by Igshaan Adams, Landskap (2018), estimated at R500,000 – 700,000 ($28,260 – $39,570). Adams currently has a solo exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire. The sale also includes Georgina Gratrix’s notable painting 80s Mom (2013), estimated at R250,000 – 350,000 ($14,125 – $18,780), which featured prominently in her early-career survey at the Norval Foundation in 2021.

The sculpture offerings in Rough and Smooth feature Alexis Preller’s mosaic mural from a private residence in Pretoria (estimate R6 – 8 million / $339,110 – $452,150) and Edoardo Villa’s Horizontal Form I (1957) (estimate R400,000 – 600,000 / $22,605 – $33,910), which adorned the artist’s Johannesburg home for decades. Additionally, artist-potter Hylton Nel contributes five pieces, including the whimsical Green Dog with Black Spots (estimate R80,000 – 120,000 / $4,520 – $6,780).

Leading the premier Evening Sale is Irma Stern’s Watussi Chief’s Wife in Yellow (1946), one of only twelve oils created during her second trip to the Belgian Congo, forming part of a series depicting noblewomen from Central Africa. Contemporaneous portraits by George Pemba, including Man Smoking a Pipe and Portrait of a Woman in Traditional Dress (both from 1947), highlight Pemba’s confident transition to oil paint after his initial work in watercolors (estimate R350,000 – 450,000 / $18,780 – $25,429).

The Evening Sale also features three portraits by Zanele Muholi, currently exhibiting at Tate Modern, London, including two self-portraits from the acclaimed Somnyama Ngonyama series and the early work Kgompi and Charles Januarie (2007) (estimate R200,000 – 300,000 / $11,300 – $16,950). David Goldblatt, a mentor to Muholi, is represented by Girl in Her New Tutu on the Stoep (1980) (estimate R280,000 – 320,000 / $15,825 – $18,085) from his seminal series In Boksburg.

The Everard Group sale features 19 lots, including works by Edith King, Bertha Everard, Ruth Everard-Haden, Rosamund Everard-Steenkamp, Leonora Everard-Haden, and Nichola Leigh. Highlighted pieces include Rosamund Everard-Steenkamp’s Rondeval (estimate R180,000 – 240,000 / $10,170 – $13,560) and Ruth Everard-Haden’s Riverlands Stoep (estimate R150,000 – 200,000 / $8,475 – $11,300). A dedicated e-catalogue will accompany this sale, offering extensive notes on this remarkable group of artists, first recognized in a 1967 museum exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum.

For more details, visit www.straussart.co.za.

Auctions, Preview, and Event Details

Monday, November 11, 2024
Timed Online Auctions:

• Day Sale: Closes from 2:00 PM
• The Everard Group: Closes from 7:00 PM

Live Virtual Auctions
Tuesday, November 12, 2024

• Rough & Smooth: A Focus on Surface and Texture: 5:00 PM
• Evening Sale: 7:00 PM

Viewing Times:

• Weekdays (Monday, October 28 to Monday, November 11, 2024): 9 AM to 4 PM
• Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10, 2024: 10 AM to 4 PM

Special Events:

• The Everard Talk with Senior Art Specialist and Head Curator, Wilhelm van Rensburg: Friday, November 8 at 3 PM
• Walkabouts with the Specialists: Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10 at 11 AM

Location:
Strauss & Co, 89 Central Street, Houghton, Johannesburg

Enquiries:
+27 11 728 8246