Guilherme d'Oliveira Marques
A Village Scene, Congo
About the SessionSpanning 4 centuries of global art history, The International Sale, presents 127 exceptional lots by artists from 27 countries across five continents. The auction highlights masterworks ranging from 17th century European paintings to post-2000 editions by contemporary artist's such as Mr Brainwash (lot 51), Jim Dine (lots 83-86), Isaac Julien (lot 108), Jeff Koons (45), and Lucas Samaras (lot 107 and 110). The sale is anchored by important pieces from Georg Baselitz, Erik Laubscher, Shirin Neshat, and a newly repatriated 1935 portrait by Irma Stern.
The auction's diversity is driven by rare museum-quality highlights, led by Irma Stern's Two Women (lot 31), which returns to South Africa after decades in a Berlin private collection. It is joined by Erik Laubscher's rare recto-verso painting Young Family / Construction (lot 48), an Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat photographic portrait linked to her award-winning Turbulent installation (lot 66), and a uniquely hand-coloured linocut by German master Georg Baselitz titled Das Pferd, Im Wald und auf der Heide Series (The Horse, in the Forest and on the Heath Series) (lot 72).
LOT 24
Guilherme d'Oliveira Marques
A Village Scene, Congo
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
signed
Provenance
Stephan Welz & Co, Cape Town, 2 June 2010, lot 312.
Notes
Guilherme d’Oliveira Marques, a Brazilian artist born to Portuguese parents, embarked on his transformative journey in 1927, at the age of 40, by relocating to Leopoldville, in the then Belgian Congo (present-day Kinshasa, DRC).
Upon his arrival, he swiftly integrated himself into the vibrant artistic milieu of the city. During the 1930s, he found employment at Cosmo-Kin, a prominent weekly newspaper, establishing a noteworthy connection between his artistic pursuits and the world of journalism.
He immersed himself in the community that would become the wellspring of his creative inspiration. Within this unique cultural milieu, he directed his artistic gaze predominantly toward the people living in the area and rural life, capturing the essence of the surrounding villages with remarkable finesse.
Notably, the bustling market emerged as a favoured subject in his artistic repertoire. These seemingly ordinary yet deeply resonant everyday scenes soon became emblematic of the artist’s body of work, firmly associating him with their vivid and heartfelt portrayal.
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