‘Unsung History’ features unheralded modern artists
● Strauss & Co’s November sale in Johannesburg tomorrow includes a session titled Unsung History that is dedicated to highlighting the achievement of unheralded modernist artists working in the tumultuous period between 1910 and 1994.
The themed session includes early pioneers like Ernest Mancoba, John Koenakeefe Mohl, Gerard Sekoto and Moses Tladi. The special session is intended to commemorate a groundbreaking event held three decades ago at Johannesburg’s premier public art institution.
On November 23 1988 curator Steven Sack presented his landmark exhibition, The Neglected Tradition: Towards a New History of South African Art (19301988), at the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Informed by an earlier 1986 exhibition of works by, among others, painters Ephraim Ngatane and George Pemba, at the Alliance Française, Pretoria, Sack’s 1988 exhibition was hailed for casting a spotlight on neglected black artists.
Along with Sekoto, Pemba and Ngatane are now well-known figures at auctions.
In March 2009 Strauss & Co sold Pemba’s portrait of a dapper musician, The Guitar Player (1977), for R401,040.
Standout offerings from Strauss & Co’s nonracial selection of unsung artists from the past century include two oils by Ngatane and Sekoto’s Women and Baby in the Street (valued at between R800,000 and R1.2m), painted in 1947.
Moses Tladi was the first black artist to be exhibited at the South African National Gallery. His work Mountain Landscape (valued between R80,000 and R120,000) portrays Mont-aux-Sources. John Koenakeefe Mohl, who appeared on Sack’s Neglected Tradition, is represented by a pastoral scene painted in Serowe, Botswana, (estimate R40,000-R60,000).
The sale also includes sculptures by, among others, Jackson Hlungwani, Noria Mabasa, Phillip Rikhotso, Cyprian Shilakoe, Winston Saoli and Lucas Sithole.
Dr Phuthuma Seoka’s carved and painted wood figures, (estimate R40,000R60,000), depict two prominent heavyweight boxers from the 1980s.
“The range and depth of talent South Africa produced throughout the 20th century is truly astonishing,” says Susie Goodman, a director at Strauss & Co. “Our aim is to broaden appreciation among collectors by introducing them to overlooked artists and practices from this country.”
The Unsung History sale forms part of the day-long sale of modern and contemporary art at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg tomorrow. For further details, consult the website: www.straussart.co.za.