The South African artworld’s auction market leader, Strauss and Co, has set the date for their summer auction on 13 November at the Wanderers Country Club with close to a mammoth 400 lots expected to go under the hammer.
These works, expected to sell from R2 500 to R6 million or more, will be open to the public for three days prior to the auction.
Art enthusiasts can take a peek at Pierneefs, Prellers, Sterns and Sekotos from 10 to 12 November at the same venue, free of charge.
The highlight of the auction promises to be lot 332, Alexis Preller’s Fleurs du Mal. This work has been estimated to sell for between R4 million and R6 million, but as with their winter auction which saw a Pierneef sell for a record R20 462 400, anything can happen.
The sale of the Pierneef artwork, Farm Jonkershoek with Twin Peaks Beyond, Stellenbosch is the second highest price ever achieved for a painting sold at auction in the country.
Alastair Meredith, art specialist at Strauss and Co, said this is one of the four annual live high-value sales. Strauss and Co also run a few online auctions throughout the year.
The sale, which also includes a selection of remarkable highveld landscapes and rare wartime South African artworks, contains 59 lots by historical and contemporary artists from the Zulu kingdom. A selection of wartime South African artworks from the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) and World War II (1939-45) also feature.
Meredith said that anyone is welcome to view or bid on the artworks. He also encouraged people to come to simply learn and appreciate the high-calibre art on display.
“Whilst we are an auction house, part of our role is education and exposure. People will be able to see amazing, high-quality, cross-section work.”
Details: Visit www.straussart.co.za for more information on this and other upcoming auctions.
