Literature

David Krut (2004) Deborah Bell: Taxi-Art Book 010, Johannesburg: David Krut Publishing, the original clay model illustrated in colour on page 78.

Notes

The first set of Sentinels was completed between 2019 and 2020 and consists of an edition of 8. The present lot is from the first set of nine executed in 2004. Each of the nine sets was issued in five editions.

Bell's Sentinel (2003) sculptures are part of her early body of sculptural work, such as the Crying Pots (1998) and the Unearthed (2001) series of clay and bronze sculptures. The present lot, a bronze sculpture, features an elongated body clothed in a garment that recalls a royal robe and ceremonial headdress. The carvings are vivid and expressionistic, lending a dynamic, robust quality to the work and echoing the energy found in Bell's works on paper. The raw, column-like slabs of clay inherently shaped the development of the narrow forms. As the artist describes, "With a heavy wooden paddle I was able to bludgeon the clay and alter the outer shape to some degree. I extended the height and stability of the slabs by creating bases two slabs thick and adding on vertical sections for heads and headpieces. However, I was essentially bound by the columnar form."¹ The present lot, which forms part of the Sentinels series, possesses a powerful spiritual and symbolic force. More than a mere figure, it stands as a quiet yet commanding witness - anchored in monumentality and presence.

^1. David Krut Publishing (2004) Deborah Bell: Taxi-Art Book 010, Johannesburg: David Krut Publishing, page 77.

Provenance

Everard Read, Cape Town.

Private Collection.