Strauss & Co July sales led by art critic, Sean O’Toole’s selection

7 Jul 2026

• July sales led by critic’s selection 

• Accessibility defines July Online offering

Strauss & Co’s July ART online offering is a little different this winter. There is a notably considered selection of medium-specific works for collectors of all stripes to consider alongside a singular selection by the highly regarded writer and curator Sean O’Toole.  

Sean’s selection, titled Friends, Allies and the Odd Stranger, brings together works by artists he has a personal connection with, many of whom he met through his deep engagement with the art world as an art critic. Over the last 25 years, Sean has profoundly shaped the way we as South Africans engage with the incredible works of art and changing times around us through his incisive observations and expansive conversations with artists. 

Friends, Allies and the Odd Stranger: Sean O’Toole’s Selection

His selection for this Focus Sale stretches across a wide historical period and encompasses many different mediums. Intriguingly, artists such as Robert Hodgins, Walter Battiss and Braam Kruger are connected by their activities as art critics themselves or as editorial illustrators at some point in their careers, like Pierneef and Kentridge. Friends, Allies and the Odd Stranger also includes a judicious selection of art books, inspired not only by Sean’s position as a critic, but also by the release of his publication Photo book! Photo-book! Photobook! in June 2026. The photobook is the culmination of Sean’s two-year intensive research project at the A4 Arts Foundation, which included an exhibition at A4 Arts Foundation in 2022 and in Kyoto, Japan, in 2026.  

Painting, Works on Paper and Sculpture Highlights

The July online ART sale follows the structure of Strauss & Co’s monthly ART sales and is organised in medium-specific sessions. In the painting session, there is a wide offering for all tastes and budgets, with significant contemporary works by the likes of Walter Meyer, Anton Karstel and Lutanda Luzamba alongside mid-century modern work by Adriaan Boshoff, Errol Boyley and Herman van Nazareth. There is truly something for everyone on this sale, and some valuable additions for even established collections. The Works on Paper session, similarly, runs the gamut from important black South African modernists like David Koloane to contemporary artists like Diane Victor. The more select sculpture and ceramics session includes an unusual work by the celebrated sculptor Brett Murray, whose groundbreaking retrospective exhibition at Norval Foundation in Cape Town was recently deinstalled.  

A selection of highlights from across the sale will be on view in our Cape Town offices from 7 July. The Timed Online sale will close from 2pm on Monday 13 July and Sean O’Toole’s selection of work, Friends, Allies and the Odd Stranger will close on Wednesday 14 July.  

There will be an Art Club walkabout of the sale at our Cape Town office on 9 July. 

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JULY AUCTIONS 2026

OH YES! The Willem Boshoff Art Collection

Live Virtual Auction, 21 July 2026

Unearthed: Contemporary South African Ceramics

Live Virtual Auction, 21 July 2026

Evening Sale

Live Virtual Auction, 21 July 2026

Cape Charm, Gregoire Boonzaier Works from a Single-Owner Collection

Timed Online Auction, 2 – 22 July 2026

Fine Dining

Timed Online Auction, 1 – 27 July 2026

July ART

Timed Online Auction, 26 June – 13 July 2026

July ART Focus

Timed Online Auction, 26 June – 14 July 2026

Italy, Spain and Portugal Fine Wine Auction

Timed Online Auction, 1 – 20 July 2026

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Exhibitions:

The Poets Are Working

16 April 2026 → 9 July 2026