Kate Gottgens
The Heiress
About the SessionThe Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction forms an integral part of Strauss & Co’s ongoing partnership with one of South Africa’s leading arts festivals. Now in its fifth year, the auction reflects a shared commitment to supporting the visual arts and creating meaningful opportunities for artists and collectors. Held at Stellenbosch Town Hall and accompanied by a curated preview exhibition, the auction brings together works by both emerging and established artists. Its intention is to encourage new and seasoned collectors to engage with and invest in South African art, while expanding the market and improving access to the work of leading local artists. At its core, the auction places artistic excellence at the centre while seeking to create greater visibility and recognition for contemporary artistic practice.
LOT 17
Kate Gottgens
The Heiress
About this Item
signed, dated, numbered 4/40, inscribed with the title in pencil and embossed with the South Atlantic Press chopmark in the margin
Notes
South African artist Kate Gottgens, born in 1965 in Durban, graduated from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art in 1987. Based in Cape Town, she draws inspiration from her personal experiences, the landscapes around her, and old photographs. Her work frequently incorporates elements of abstraction and figurative representation, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. Gottgens uses a rich, muted palette and dynamic brushwork to convey emotion and depth, inviting viewers to engage with the underlying narratives within her pieces. Her evocative paintings explore themes of family, identity, memory, and the human condition.
Gottgens was the recipient of the Ampersand Fellowship Award, which comprised a residency in New York City, USA, in 2019. She was the only South African to appear in the Thames & Hudson publication, 100 Painters of Tomorrow (2014), and was featured in Ashraf Jamal’s In the World: Essays on Contemporary South African Art (2017). She has shown in several solo and group exhibitions in South Africa and abroad, including in Australia, Belgium, India, Italy, Spain, and the USA. Gottgens’ works are in such collections as the Pérez Collection, in Miami, Florida, the Majudia Museum in Montreal, Canada, the Leeu Collection in Franschhoek, and the Homestead Collection housed at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town.
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