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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Walter Battiss

South African 1906-1982 


In addition to being a prolific painter and printmaker, Walter Battiss was a passionate student of Southern African rock art, publishing no fewer than seven books on the subject in the 1940s and 50s. The elongated figures typical of his art were directly inspired by his large collection of rock art photographs and tracings. In the 1960s his work was characterised by a sgraffito technique (scratching images through layers of oil paint) and in the early 1970s Battiss invented an imaginary artistic construct, Fook Island, which he populated with material culture (a Fook alphabet, currency, postage stamps, passport, etc.). His numerous travels to the Middle East and to various Greek islands were constant sources of inspiration.


1,405 lots offered      80.50% sold      ZAR 89 018 862

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Walter Battiss; Fook Island
Fook Island
20 Oct 2025
Unsold
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Walter Battiss; Morning Birds
Morning Birds
20 Oct 2025
Unsold
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Walter Battiss; Girl Moving her Legs
Girl Moving her Legs
30 Sep 2025
Starting at ZAR 10 000
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Walter Battiss; A Silhouette Figure
A Silhouette Figure
16 Sep 2025
Starting at ZAR 150 000
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Walter Battiss; Bahrain Island, Persian Gulf
Bahrain Island, Persian Gulf
30 Jun 2025
Starting at ZAR 180 000
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Walter Battiss; African Figures
African Figures
30 Jun 2025
Starting at ZAR 150 000
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Walter Battiss; Cretans
Cretans
30 Jun 2025
Starting at ZAR 50 000
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Walter Battiss; The Initiate
The Initiate
27 May 2025
Starting at ZAR 200 000
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Walter Battiss; East Africa
East Africa
9 Oct 2024
Starting at ZAR 70 000
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Walter Battiss; Landscape with Distant Mountains
Landscape with Distant Mountains
12 Aug 2024
Starting at ZAR 6 000
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Walter Battiss; Two Glass Vessels
Two Glass Vessels
13 Feb 2023
Starting at ZAR 80 000
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Walter Battiss; Farewell my Son
Farewell my Son
13 Jun 2022
Starting at ZAR 20 000
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