Amongst some of the very best in South African and international art on offer at Strauss & Co’s upcoming auction scheduled for 16 March in Cape Town, are key contemporary works by globally recognised artists such as Berlinde De Bruyckere, Nam June Paik, Huang Gang, Yayoi Kusama, William Kentridge and Penny Siopis.
“One of the shortcomings of the South African art market” says Stephan Welz, MD of Strauss & Co, “has been the absence of a lively, well presented, and most importantly a respected secondary market in contemporary art. I believe at Strauss & Co we are able to fill this gap admirably and with this auction will set new standards.”
De Bruyckere was the solo artist in the Belgian Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, curated by J M Coetzee. That so illustrious an author – recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature and twice winner of the Booker Prize – accepted her invitation confirms the high regard in which she is held.
Nam June Paik, who associated with Joseph Beuys and John Cage and participated in the Neo-Dada movement, Fluxus, of which Yoko Ono was also a member, is widely considered to be the founder of video art.
“For South African collectors seeking to expand their collections beyond local borders, works of this calibre are particularly appealing” says Emma Bedford, Senior Specialist at Strauss & Co and former Curator of Contemporary Paintings and Sculpture at the South African National Gallery. Bedford points out that the auction also features cutting-edge works by some of South Africa’s most exciting younger artists like Zander Blom, Hasan and Husain Essop, Georgina Gratrix, Michael MacGarry, Cameron Platter and Michael Taylor.
Ed Young, Arch
Ed Young’s Arch (R450 000 – 550 000) is set to fly. As the first black Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Mpilo Tutu, well known for his steadfast and unapologetic public voice, is also celebrated for his good humour. Young’s Arch , without equal locally for its freewheeling interpretation of a prominent public figure, is a mischievous anti-hero, an endearing Peter Pan of politics.
Important South African & International Art, Decorative Arts & Jewellery Monday 16 March 2015
WHERE: The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands, Cape Town 7700
NOTE: Previews – Friday 13 to Sunday 15 March 10am to 5pm W a l k a b o u t s conducted by Stephan Welz & Emma Bedford Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March at 11am
INFO: +27 (0) 21 683 6560 Mobile +27 (0) 78 044 8185 I Fax: +27 (0) 21 683 6085 website
