Archived

Preller, from the unfinished to the finished at Strauss & Co Auction

27 Jun 2014

These include two masterpieces in the making, Hieratic Women (Estimate R120 000 – 160 000) and Abstract with the Family (R90 000 and R120 000) which sadly the artist was unable to complete before his death. According to Stephan Welz, Managing Director of Strauss & Co, “although unfinished, they remain not only pleasing to the eye, but give interesting insight into the artist’s method of working and may be regarded important in the artist’s oeuvre and would certainly earn a place in any fine collection”.

Foremost amongst the remaining eight works, is Seychellois Still Life (Estimate R2 600 000 – 3 200 000) executed in 1949 during the artist’s sojourn in the Seychelles. This outstanding masterpiece represents a jubilant and positive period in his life as conveyed by his use of vibrant colours, with abundant fruit and vegetation forming the focal point of the composition. In a letter to his sister Min, he writes: “I can’t tell you how happy I am in my work and in the way I am fitting in with the people around me. It’s almost as if there was a place prepared for me and I was meant to come here….”

Referred to as “South Africa’s Gauguin” by a critic who had seen his work on a 1937 group exhibition in Johannesburg, Preller sought an art “rooted in the African soil” drawing inspiration from the Ndebele (Mapogga) people, who lived in the Pretoria vicinity where he spent most of his life. Ndebele Village (Estimate R2 000 000 – 3 000 000) demonstrates his fascination with Ndebele architecture and its archetypal decorative motifs which recall a legendary past, whilst Grand Mapogga (Estimate R500 000 – 800 000) embraces the artist’s “romantic personal interpretation” of the tribe.

The sale comprises 277 lots of Important South African and International Art and takes place on at The Wanderers Club Ballroom at 4pm and 8pm. Enquiries 011 728 8246 www.straussart.co.za

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