Pioneer contemporary art sale alongside Cape Town Art Fair
● Strauss & Co is pleased to announce its first-ever dedicated contemporary art sale on Saturday. The venue for the 71-lot sale is an impressive former warehouse overlooking Duncan Dock, a harbour facility at the port of Cape Town.
The facility is located a convenient fiveminute walk from the V&A Waterfront’s Silo district and Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.
The sale, which focuses on outstanding examples of contemporary art made by South African, African and diaspora artists, will coincide with the Cape Town Art Fair, which takes place from Friday to Sunday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, very close to Duncan Dock.
Highlights from the contemporary sale include:
A charcoal and pastel drawing by William Kentridge from his film, Felix in Exile (1994), estimate R2-million to 2.5-million;
An early Cake (1983) painting by Penny Siopis, estimate R600 000 to R800 000;
Joachim Schönfeldt’s portfolio of 27 painted and embossed works on paper, The Model Men (2000-12), estimate R800 000 to R1.2million;
A pyramid sculpture, Third World Disorder (2010), by Kendell Geers, estimate R600 000 to R800 000; and
Robert Hodgins, Drunk in the Docks, estimate R800 000 to R1.2-million.
The sale also includes 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. Recognising the emergence of photography in the period since 1990, 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 offered.
“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.
Together with Strauss & Co’s joint managing directors, Bina Genovese and Vanessa Phillips, Kilbourn has been instrumental in guiding the company towards a more diversified offering that now includes six online auctions and a contemporary sale as well as its four live auctions.
Strauss & Co has reason to be bullish about the market for contemporary art. Since it was launched in 2009, the company’s four annual live auctions – two apiece in Cape Town and Johannesburg – have always included contemporary art. Strauss & Co has achieved more than R200-million in sales from just contemporary art in this period.
A broadening of tastes among local collectors has seen artists such as Jane Alexander, Deborah Bell, Norman Catherine, Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge and Penny Siopis perform consistently well at auction.
Kentridge now ranks among the top-performing artists at auction in South Africa, alongside blue-chip artists such as JH Pierneef, Gerard Sekoto and Irma Stern.
Strauss & Co has successfully sold 240 Kentridge lots since 2009, with a cumulative value of R81 847 896. The two other top-performing contemporaries are Hodgins and Catherine. Hodgins brought in R43 969 038 from 195 lots sold since 2009, while Catherine has achieved R11 151 202 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 sculpture by Jane Alexander for R5 456 640.
Recent sales have witnessed enthusiastic bidding for a newer generation of artists.
Last year an edition of Mary Sibande’s photo, Her Majesty, Queen Sophie, sold for R193 256, well above its high estimate. Similarly, Billie Zangewa’s silk tapestry, Working Nights, fetched R204 624, quadrupling its high estimate.
An illustrated catalogue accompanies the sale, which will take place at Cruise Terminal, E Berth, Duncan Dock, Duncan Road, V&A Waterfront on Saturday at 6pm.
Preview: Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm Walkabouts: Thursday 11am and Saturday 12.30pm. Enquiries and catalogues: +27 (0) 21 683 6560, mobile +27 (0) 78 044 8185, fax: +27 (0) 21 683 6085