Notes

Strauss & Co has broken all auction records for Robert Hodgins in a run of remarkable successes starting with his A Seated Figure, Red Room that sold for R356 480 in May 2011, followed by Greenpiece ’99 No 3 (A Godson of the Godfather) selling for R612 700 in September 2011 and culminating in Igor Stravinsky & Four Women that exceeded all expectations in February this year when it sold for R724 100.

Hodgins occupies a unique position in South African art. According to Kendell Geers, indisputably one of South Africa’s leading contemporary artists and former curator of the Gencor Collection, now the BHP Billiton Collection:

“Very few artists in the world command the respect and admiration of their peers in the way Robert Hodgins does, a reverence often verging on cult status. In South Africa he is the quintessential artist’s artist, a guru for four generations, a point of reference for every self-respecting curator, and a voice of reason where video has all but killed the painting star.”

A Gentleman from Mexico forms part of Hodgins’ inimitable collection of businessmen, suited-up in the trappings of power and ready to engage the world. However, this gentleman could just as well be a denizen of the underworld, a dodgy dealer or a smooth tango master.

The black and white stripes of his snazzy suit read like a keyboard and suggest the syncopated rhythms of a jazz ensemble. This pared-down palette is offset by the explosion of puce and green that colour his face, his shirt and waistcoat. The pencil moustache, echoed in the shoelace tie, add to the humour with which the artist captures this curious character. These colours and designs are reiterated in the flags that cleverly act as devices to reinforce the abstract qualities of the painting while lending it a festive atmosphere.