Dylan Lewis
Sitting Leopard Miniature (S412)
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 68
Dylan Lewis
Sitting Leopard Miniature (S412)
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
signed, numbered 67/100, inscribed with the catalogue number 'S412" and stamped with the Sculpture Casting Service foundry mark
Notes
Dylan Lewis was born in Johannesburg in 1964. He began as a painter but built his artistic career on the success of his animal sculptures. While he has sculpted smaller cats, his main focus has been on large predators: lions, cheetahs, and leopards. These cats embody a metaphorical quality for Lewis, and he has rendered them performing many different activities of their daily lives, such as hunting, playing, stretching, and resting. After ten years working in this genre, he shifted his focus to the naked human form to investigate the wildness of the human psyche. This exploration of nudity was also a reaction against the religious beliefs and conservatism of his upbringing, wherein this subject was prohibited. His early female figures, falling under the heading ‘forbidden forms,’ are erotic, emotive, and ambiguous. In 2017, he opened the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden in Stellenbosch. The indigenous garden, particularly concentrated on fynbos, is a marriage of his love for the outdoors and sculpture – he has carefully shaped the land, curated the plants, and placed more than 60 of his sculptures along the 4 km of winding paths. Lewis is popular with local and international collectors and has held numerous exhibitions worldwide, including in France, Australia, Canada, the USA, and the UK.
Exhibited
Everard Read, Johannesburg, Dylan Lewis: Apex, 6 to 26 May 2021, another example from the edition exhibited.
Everard Read, Cape Town, Dylan Lewis: Apex, 6 to 26 May 2021, another example from the edition exhibited.
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