Art auction to take new direction to raise R4.8m

STRAUSS & Co will hold its first sale dedicated to contemporary art on Saturday.

The fine art auctioneers aim to raise at least R4.8 million from the auction, which will be held at a former warehouse overlooking the Duncan Docks in the Port of Cape Town.

“The launch of our first contemporary art auction during the Cape Town Art Fair heralds an exciting new direction for Strauss & Co and should, in time, further enhance our relevance and sustainability,” said Strauss & Co chairperson Frank Kilbourn.

The sale, which will focus on outstanding examples of contemporary art by South African, African and diaspora artists, will coincide with the Cape Town Art Fair.

The sale will include works by noted contemporary painters, such as Lisa Brice, Kate Gottgens, Georgina Gratrix, Helen Sebidi and Jessica Webster, as well as striking early works by Zander Blom and Ayanda Mabulu.

Photographic works by Leonce Raphael Agbodjélou, Kudzanai Chiurai, Abrie Fourie, Cyrus Kabiru, David Goldblatt, Mohau Modisakeng, Tracey Rose, Mikhael Subotzky and Guy Tillim will be on offer.

Since it launched in 2009, the company’s four annual live auctions – two apiece in Cape Town and Johannesburg – have included contemporary art. Strauss & Co has achieved more than R200m in sales from contemporary art alone in this period.

Strauss & Co has sold 240 William Kentridge lots since 2009, with a total value of R81.8m.

The two other top-performing contemporaries are Robert Hodgins and Norman Catherine. Hodgins brought in R44m from 195 lots sold since 2009, while Catherine has achieved R11.2m from 157 lots sold over the same extended period.

Strauss & Co’s commitment to bringing singular works to market saw it achieve a world record in 2011, when it sold an untitled figure sculpture by Jane Alexander, originally exhibited with her iconic for R5.5m.

Recent Strauss & Co live sales have witnessed enthusiastic bidding for a newer generation of artists. Last year, an edition of Mary Sibande’s photo,

sold for R193 256, well above its estimate.