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Strauss & Co announces its diverse programme of activities for Toyota US Woordfees 2022

4 Oct 2022

Held annually in the bucolic wineland settlement of Stellenbosch, this year’s event marks a welcome return to in-person programming. Strauss & Co’s contribution includes an exhibition and associated programme of lectures, walkabouts and art valuations, as well as duties running a benefit auction on Saturday, 15 October 2022.

“I am delighted that Strauss & Co will once again be participating in Toyota US Woordfees,” says Caro Wiese, Non-Executive Director, Strauss & Co. “The festival has grown from a modest literary event founded in 2000 into an important and much-loved festival of the arts, one in which the visual arts now enjoys an established role through Strauss & Co’s consistent participation. I am especially thankful to Ton and Anet Vosloo for the loan of Morkelhuis, a peerless venue for our exhibition of historical works by, among others, Christo Coetzee, JH Pierneef, Alexis Preller, and Irma Stern.”

Morkelhuis, a U-shaped and gabled homestead on Ryneveld Street, is one of the oldest buildings in Stellenbosch that started its long and varied life as a wine cellar in the 1690s. For the duration of Toyota US Woordfees, Strauss & Co will present an exhibition of works from its upcoming sales in this private venue. The exhibition will include works from Strauss & Co’s forthcoming live-virtual auction in Johannesburg (6-9 November 2022), as well as excerpts from the sale of the Property of Dr Matthys Strydom Family Collection taking place in Cape Town (22 November 2022).

Dr Matthys Strydom (1935-2022) was a medical doctor, entrepreneur, art dealer and stud owner from George. He fatefully acquired his father’s furniture business in the 1960s and began hosting annual art exhibitions in its showroom. This highly successful initiative culminated in the founding of Strydom Gallery in George. Strauss & Co will present a selection of important artworks from the Property of Dr Matthys Strydom Family Collection.

They include a striking portrait of an Eastern Cape sitter and later-career maritime scene, both by Irma Stern, and a magical triptych replete with animals and symbolism by Stanley Pinker. The exhibition will also include two wonderful bushveld scenes by JH Pierneef, alongside more landscapes by Walter Battiss, Erik Laubscher, Maggie Laubser, Hugo Naudé, Nita Spilhaus and Jean Welz. The enigmatic work of Christo Coetzee and Alexis Preller will also feature.

The public will be able to learn more about Dr Matthys Strydom, his biography, interests as well as influence, at one of Strauss & Co’s five expert-led lectures:

• Monday 10 October, The Cape Country House, conducted by Vanessa Phillips, Senior Consultant Decorative Arts and Jewellery, and Sophie-Louise Fröhlich, Decorative Arts Specialist, both Strauss & Co
• Tuesday 11 October: The Matthys Strydom Art Collection, conducted by Wilhelm van Rensburg, Head Curator and Senior Art Specialist, Strauss & Co
• Wednesday 12 October: What is South African fine wine?, conducted by Roland Peens, Wine Specialist, Strauss & Co
• Thursday 13 October: Technical imaging of paintings in Iziko South African National Gallery, conducted by Angela Zehnder, Painting Conservator
• Friday 14 October: Investing in Your Art Collection, Leigh Leyde, Art Researcher and Cataloguer, Strauss & Co)

Strauss & Co will lend its auction know-how to running the Toyota US Woordfees Artists Benefit Auction on Saturday 15 October 2022 at 11am which takes place at the Stadsaal. Proceeds from this auction will benefit the participating artists. The works will be on view at the Stadsaal from Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 October from 10am to 6pm and on Saturday 15 October from 10am and during the auction.

Marion Dixon, Senior Art Specialist, Strauss & Co, who recently relocated to Stellenbosch and handles the region, will be available to assist clients with queries:

marion@straussart.co.za | 082 775 5520