
Strauss & Co heralds summer with a curated programme of Johannesburg sales
11 Oct 2022
Strauss & Co is pleased to announce details of its major summer auction of art and wine in Johannesburg (3-9 November 2022).
Responding to collector interest in smaller, thematic sales, Strauss & Co will host four curated sales of art, all scheduled in the evening. They include a dedicated sculpture sale with focuses on Josephine Ghesa and Job Kekana and a single-artist sale of fresh-to-market works from the Estate of the Late Robert Hodgins. This sale is the first ever such event wholly devoted to the much-loved artist, teacher and critic, Robert Hodgins.
Irma Stern’s remarkable portrait of an urbanised sitter, African Woman (estimate R5 – 6 million), painted in 1940, forms part of an impressive consignment of oils and a ceramic by this blue-chip artist. Leading the selection of two-dozen collectable works on paper by William Kentridge is a process drawing from his 2011 animated film Other Faces (estimate 3 – 4 million). Strauss & Co is pleased to be offering the woodcut Mantegna (estimate R800 000 – 1.2 million), another edition of which is currently on view in Kentridge’s Royal Academy survey in London. Alongside major works by Walter Battiss, Dumile Feni, John Meyer, Alexis Preller J.H. Pierneef and Andrew Verster, the catalogue includes pieces by international artists Marina Abramović and Yinka Shonibare.
“Recent successes at market with our single-artist sales and in-session artist focuses, coupled with a return to post-pandemic normal, has prompted us to innovate with our November programme,” says Alastair Meredith, Head of the Art Department, Strauss & Co. “The curated presentation of our four sales aims to provide collectors with generous insights into important historical and contemporary artists – from modernist wood sculptor Job Kekana and post-war painter Sydney Goldblatt to Robert Hodgins, whose diverse work and influence is explored in a dedicated sale”.
Strauss & Co’s Johannesburg season of art and wine sales commences on Thursday, 3 November 2022, with a 100-lot consolidated catalogue of modern, post-war and contemporary art. Notable painters to feature include Keith Alexander, Gregoire Boonzaier, Adolph Jentsch, Walter Meyer, John Mohl, Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi, Frans Oerder and Larry Scully. The lot arrangement includes collector focuses on Walter Battiss, Sydney Golblatt and François Krige.
Following on from Strauss & Co’s wine sale the day before, IN/FORM: Exploring South African Sculpture (Monday, 7 November 2022) includes seven woodcarvings by Job Kekana. The selection of figurative pieces reflects Kekana’s secular and religious interests as an artist. Ardmore-trained Josephine Ghesa, one of the highlights of Norval Foundation’s current survey of black women artists, When Rain Clouds Gather, has three examples of her zoomorphic figures in the sale. Other notable sculptors to feature are Frances Goodman, Sydney Kumalo, Ezrom Legae, Dylan Lewis, Henry Moore, Walter Oltmann, Edoardo Villa and Anton van Wouw.
Three site-specific commissions by Walter Battiss, Irma Stern and Andrew Verster form part of a vibrant medley of high-value works being offered on Tuesday, 8 November 2022. Originally created for a double-volume modernist house in Kimberley, Battiss’s Spirit of Africa (estimate R3 – 4 million) is a vertiginous depiction of African figures set against an abstract background. Measuring over 6 metres in length, Verster’s multi-panelled floral mural (estimate R400 000 – 600 000) was originally on display in the late Judge Alan and Brenda Magid’s upper-floor dining room in Berea, Durban.
Strauss & Co’s summer sale concludes with the Three Robs: Artist, Collaborator, Friend (Wednesday, 9 November 2022), a single-artist sale of oils, watercolours, monotypes, pastels and drawings by Robert Hodgins. The sale will additionally include works that Hodgins made in collaboration with artists Sarah Ballam, Deborah Bell, Kendell Geers, William Kentridge, Jan Neethling and Sam Nhlengethwa. Wilhelm van Rensburg, Senior Art Specialist and Head Curator, Strauss & Co, who organised the sale, will lead a live talk and video première on Tuesday, 18 October 2022 at 6pm.
Strauss & Co will present a comprehensive education and social programme in the build-up to the summer auction. A preview exhibition will open to the public on 18 October 2022 and run until 3 November. Strauss & Co experts will offer walkabouts on 28 and 29 October, and again on 5 and 6 November. On 19 October, Strauss & Co will launch an online documentary film exploring William Kentridge’s print output. The film is part of a long-term collaboration with the Warehouse Art Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is currently hosting an exhibition of work by William Kentridge. Comprehensive e-catalogues with details of all the works on sale are available online at www.straussart.co.za.
Current Press Releases
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- 2 Nov 2023 Internationally acclaimed but irrefutably South African: Strauss & Co’s marquee summer auction features important works by Billie Zangewa and William Kentridge
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- 24 Nov 2023 CALLING FOR CONSIGNMENTS: Paintings by J.H. Pierneef and Cinga Samson headline second-instalment of Strauss & Co’s Africa-focused auction in February 2024
- 27 Nov 2023 Strauss & Co and The Nel Erasmus Art Legacy Trust Present Conflux: A Retrospective by South African Postwar Artist Nel Erasmus
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- 2 Oct 2023 With a focus on Studies and Drawings, Strauss & Co’s October online auction appeals to established and first-time collectors
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- 19 Oct 2023 Showpiece Renoir leads Strauss & Co’s 111-lot sale of international modern and contemporary art
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- 27 Oct 2023 International buyers flock to Strauss & Co’s spotlight auction featuring Chagall, Miró and an undiscovered Renoir
- 31 Oct 2023 Moses Tladi and Gerard Sekoto, who opened museum doors for black artists, lead an impressive offering of black moderns at Johannesburg Auction Week
September
- 4 Sep 2023 Strauss & Co Presents a Captivating Auction: Modern and Contemporary Art with a focus on Renowned Artist Alice Goldin
- 7 Sep 2023 Works from important single-owner and contemporary art with museum pedigree lead Strauss & Co’s marquee spring sale
- 12 Sep 2023 Exquisite Selection of Bordeaux and Bordeaux-Style South African Wines to Go Under the Hammer at Strauss & Co
- 21 Sep 2023 Unseen Renoir from South African collection, recently authenticated in Paris, headlines Strauss & Co’s globe-spanning auction
- 21 Sep 2023 Scandinavian designers, French winemakers and a canonical South African painter charm buyers at Strauss & Co’s spring sales
August
- 8 Aug 2023 Strauss & Co’s August online sale covers half a century of South African ceramic art
- 18 Aug 2023 Rare collections of the World's leading wines to be sold as single bottles
- 28 Aug 2023 Highly important Zanzibar portrait by Irma Stern of praying man poised to go under the hammer at Strauss & Co
- 28 Aug 2023 Leading/Inspirational businesswomen, Khetiwe McClain and Jo-Ann Strauss, join Strauss & Co
July
- 3 Jul 2023 Strauss & Co’s upcoming timed online auction provides art collectors with a special focus on the Eastern Cape
- 14 Jul 2023 J. H. Pierneef: Close to Home traces a half-century of innovation and unbroken fascination with the South African landscape
- 14 Jul 2023 Jewels Online: LAUNCH EDITION - Classic emeralds to contemporary designs
- 18 Jul 2023 August Art Month at Welgemeend celebrates the geography, essence and history of the Western Cape
June
- 7 Jun 2023 Strauss & Co’s June Timed Online Auction Features Renowned Contemporary and Early 20th Century Artists
- 8 Jun 2023 Wines from Burgundy & Champagne
- 9 Jun 2023 Rare collections of the world’s leading wines to be sold, together with a uniquely minted NFT, by Strauss & Co.
- 21 Jun 2023 Strauss & Co honours sculptors past and present with a dedicated sale and exhibition
- 26 Jun 2023 Strauss & Co Celebrating Silver
May
- 3 May 2023 Strauss & Co confirms its rock-solid reputation with a catalogue of blue-chip works by South African modernists for its May auction
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- 12 May 2023 Rare and Fine Wine from Italy and Spain going under the hammer
- 12 May 2023 From Azaria to Zerffi – an eclectic collection from an art connoisseur family
- 17 May 2023 Rare colour work by exiled south African artist Dumile Feni sells for new world record price at Strauss & Co sale in Johannesburg
April
- 5 Apr 2023 April Timed Online Auction with a focus on Portraits, Heads and Character Studies
- 6 Apr 2023 The 2023 Cassirer Welz Award Winner
- 20 Apr 2023 Important Black Modernist Artists Lead Strauss & Co May Auction In Johannesburg
March
- 2 Mar 2023 Strong results at Strauss & Co’s maiden auction of modern and contemporary art from Africa
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- 13 Mar 2023 Strauss & Co bring important works by Pierneef, Preller, Stern and Tretchikoff to market
- 23 Mar 2023 Strauss & Co’s strong catalogue of women artists tracks a history of innovation from Maggie Laubser and Irma Stern to Sethembile Msezane and Ruby Swinney
- 23 Mar 2023 Art Nouveau: The Birth of Modern Style with Guest Lecturer, Dr Gregorio Thaon di Revel Mazzonis di Pralafera
- 29 Mar 2023 Record price for Irma Stern at Strauss & Co sale affirms South Africa’s status as the best marketplace to trade artworks by premium South African modernists
February
- 2 Feb 2023 Important Announcements from Frank Kilbourn, Strauss & Co Executive Chairperson
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- 23 Feb 2023 Chairperson’s Report
- 27 Feb 2023 Strauss & Co’s Curatorial Voices auction maps the story of art from Gerard Sekoto to Cinga Samson
- 27 Feb 2023 "Art is a human virtue and I have given my whole self to it, for it promotes understanding among races rather than destroys it."—Gerard Sekoto
December
November
- 1 Nov 2022 Irma Stern’s bold portrait of a modern woman presents an opportunity for collectors
- 2 Nov 2022 Strauss & Co presents the most prestigious fine wine collection ever to come to market in SA
- 11 Nov 2022 Strauss & Co’s final live sale of 2022 honours the legacy of art collector, Dr Matthys Johannes Strydom
- 11 Nov 2022 Broad interest in historical and contemporary art underpins Strauss & Co’s solid results
- 18 Nov 2022 Strauss & Co presents works owned by Matthys Strydom, art dealer and storyteller extraordinaire
- 24 Nov 2022 The pedigree of art dealer and collector Matthys Strydom’s collection sees collectors pay premium prices at Strauss & Co auction
- 24 Nov 2022 Strauss & Co’s upcoming November online-only auction offers art collectors a special focus on the Cape
- 25 Nov 2022 Twinkle-twinkle little star, how about some Christmas cheer from Strauss & Co?
- 30 Nov 2022 Norval Foundation Benefit Auction 2022
October
- 11 Oct 2022 Strauss & Co heralds summer with a curated programme of Johannesburg sales
- 13 Oct 2022 Strauss & Co to present the first-ever sale exclusively devoted to Robert Hodgins
- 27 Oct 2022 International report identifies Strauss & Co as dominant reseller of works by William Kentridge
- 27 Oct 2022 Strauss & Co’s sculpture-only sale explores the story of SA sculpture, from past to present