Literature

David Robbins (2000) Keith Alexander: The Artist in Retrospect, Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball, illustrated in colour on page 131.

Notes

In the present lot, Keith Alexander imbues this work with an eerie surrealism reminiscent of Giorgio de Chirico. Long shadows encroach the foreground, except for a doorway of light, where a ghostly shadow is thrown over a pavement onto an empty street. The grand building, backlit with golden light, accompanied by a solitary witness in the form of a gemsbok, reinforces the other-worldly quality in this composition.

Built in 1909 as a hotel, and named after a former royal German family, Hohenzollernhaus is one of Swakopmund’s most recognisable buildings. The distinctive neo-baroque style façade is further adorned with a life-sized figure of Atlas above the main entrance. In 1972 this building was declared a national monument.