19th Century, Modern, Post-War and Contemporary Art, Decorative Arts, Jewellery and Wine

Live Virtual Auction, 11 - 13 April 2021

19th Century, Modern, Post-War and Contemporary Art

Sold for

ZAR 796 600
Lot 570
  • Gerard Sekoto; The Gossips
  • Gerard Sekoto; The Gossips
  • Gerard Sekoto; The Gossips
  • Gerard Sekoto; The Gossips
  • Gerard Sekoto; The Gossips


Lot Estimate
ZAR 700 000 - 800 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 796 600

About this Item

South African 1913-1993
The Gossips

signed and dated 45

watercolour on paper
32,5 by 36,5cm excluding frame

Notes

Gerard Sekoto settled in Cape Town in 1942. The support and appreciation he received over the next three years resulted in the production of “a steady stream of important work” including this watercolour.1 Like other painters of the thirties generation, notably Gerard Bhengu and George Pemba, Sekoto first worked with watercolour before switching to oil. He discovered the medium – “to my great delight,” stated Sekoto – while teaching at Khaiso Secondary School in Pietersburg.2 This limpid and notational medium was suited to Sekoto’s observational style of painting and fondness for depicting small groups of friends and intimates either drinking or gossiping. This lot showcases his flair at describing the essentials of an encounter: a raised hand, a turned head, rapt engagement. Gossiping, with its suggestion of community and benign scandal, remained an important subject for Sekoto after he forsook watercolour. In his diaries, Pemba writes how Sekoto had dissuaded him from using watercolours: “South Africans prefer solid paint and effective colour.”3 Notable later works in this style include the oil Village Gossip (1946), now in the collection of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, as well as a series of nostalgic oils depicting huddled groups painted in Paris in 1970.

1.  N. Chabani Manganyi (2004) Gerard Sekoto: I am an African. Johannesburg: Wits University Press, page 40.

2.  Joe Dolby (2005) Gerard Sekoto: From the Paris Studio. Cape Town: Iziko South African National Gallery, page 4.

3.  Lauren Segal & Paul Holden (2008) Great Lives: Pivotal Moments. Johannesburg: Jacana, page 100.

Provenance

Abram Kesler, and thence by descent to the current owner.

Literature

Barbara Lindop (1988) Gerard Sekoto, Randburg: Dictum Publishing, illustrated in colour on page 115.

View all Gerard Sekoto lots for sale in this auction


Other lots that might interest you
After Henri Matisse; Odalisque sur la Terrasse
After Henri Matisse
Odalisque sur la Terrasse
ZAR 120 000 - 160 000
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef; Stillewe
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef
Stillewe
ZAR 250 000 - 350 000
Irma Stern; Madeira
Irma Stern
Madeira
ZAR 80 000 - 120 000
Irma Stern; Three Men Under Trees
Irma Stern
Three Men Under Trees
ZAR 250 000 - 350 000
Irma Stern; Seated Zanzibar Woman
Irma Stern
Seated Zanzibar Woman
ZAR 350 000 - 500 000
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef; Wilgerbome
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef
Wilgerbome
ZAR 300 000 - 500 000