Irises with Oriental Figures

Strauss & Co is delighted to present Andrew Verster: Gorgeous and Free, a landmark timed-online auction devoted exclusively to the celebrated Durban painter, educator, critic, and activist Andrew Verster. This collection serves as a focused snapshot of a prolific career, offering new generations an opportunity to engage with an artist who was a prominent figure in the 1980s. It is a chance to explore a body of work that is deeply compelling and a tribute to the legacy of an artist of such significant contributions.

The 38 lots on offer span the full breadth of Verster's creative output. We are thrilled to present a comprehensive selection that includes his characteristic oil paintings, watercolours, a captivating sculptural door piece, and five monumental tapestries created in collaboration with Stephens Tapestry Studio. Each piece reflects a singular visual language, rich with a distinctive chromatic exuberance and an unapologetic vision.

Leading this outstanding collection is Expulsion, a four-panel tour de force from 1987. This powerful artwork, with its vividly coloured wilderness and hunched male figures, revisits the biblical expulsion from Eden, reinterpreting the narrative through the lens of queer desire. This was a profoundly courageous and dignifying gesture in apartheid South Africa. The aesthetic beauty of Verster’s work often belies the quiet but fearless political messages embedded within, demonstrating how he navigated an oppressive social landscape with subtlety and strength. His bold use of colour and intimate scenes also show a clear debt to painters like David Hockney.

This auction reaffirms Verster’s vital place within a lineage of queer South African painters, including Edward Wolfe and Alexis Preller. This catalogue delves deeper into his body of work and his place in art history, solidifying our commitment to championing significant South African artists.