Artists

From Albert Adams to Portia Zvavahera, Strauss & Co maintains a detailed database of every artist sold at auction since 2009. Whether it is painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, ceramics or new media, this searchable database lists by artist every lot offered and provides aggregated data useful to collectors. Famous South African artists like William Kentridge, JH Pierneef, Alexis Preller and Irma Stern are introduced with helpful biographies along with the best contemporary artists.



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Billy Monk

South African 1937-1982 


Billy Monk was born in Johannesburg in 1937. He was a bouncer and self-taught photographer in 1960s Cape Town, where he captured the vibrant nightlife of the city’s underground clubs like The Catacombs. These venues, frequented by all races and sexual orientations, stood in stark contrast to the rigid apartheid system outside. His close relationships with the clubgoers enabled him to photograph them with striking intimacy.

Monk stopped photographing in 1969 and his work remained largely forgotten until his negatives were discovered by photographer Jac de Villiers in 1979. With Monk’s approval, de Villiers, supported by David Goldblatt, organized an exhibition at Johannesburg's Market Gallery in 1982. Tragically, Monk was shot and killed on his way to the show. Despite his untimely death, Monk’s photographs provide a rare, unfiltered glimpse into a distinctive period of Cape Town's history. His work has been featured in prominent exhibitions, including at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the International Center of Photography in New York, the Iziko South African National Gallery, and the Brighton Photo Biennial.


9 lots offered      33.33% sold      ZAR 334 313
 

  Including Premium and VAT Results include Buyer's Premium and VAT
Billy Monk; Outside the Catacombs, 20 October 1967
18 Sep 2024
Sold for ZAR 23 450
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Billy Monk; Couple Embracing
18 Sep 2024
Starting at ZAR 20 000
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Billy Monk; The Catacombs, 31 July 1967
18 Sep 2024
Starting at ZAR 15 000
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Billy Monk; The Catacombs, 7 November 1967
18 Sep 2024
Starting at ZAR 15 000
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Billy Monk; The Spurs, 28 September 1967
18 Sep 2024
Starting at ZAR 15 000
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Billy Monk; The Catacombs, August 1967
18 Sep 2024
Starting at ZAR 15 000
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Billy Monk; The Catacombs Series, fourteen
10 Jun 2024
Sold for ZAR 128 975
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Billy Monk; The Catacomb Series, twelve
13 Nov 2017
ZAR 120 000 - 160 000
 
Billy Monk; The Catacombs Series, ten
5 Jun 2017
Sold for ZAR 181 888
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT