Notes

A wooden base measuring 50 by 80 by 10,5cm accompanies the lot.

Thanks to Gavin Watkins for assistance with cataloguing this lot.

Sydney Kumalo began formal art training at the age of 17 in 1952 at the Polly Street Art Centre in Johannesburg. He was guided initially by Cecil Skotnes who, recognising his talent, arranged an apprenticeship with the sculptor Edoardo Villa. Kumalo later taught alongside Skotnes, until 1964, when he became a full-time professional artist. He always acknowledged Skotnes and Villa as mentors and friends and that it was under their guidance that he learnt the technical skills with which to develop his own distinctive formal language, evident in the present lot. In this work, a large human figure is depicted astride a prowling beast. The power relations are self-evident – the figure is disproportionately larger than the comparatively small beast. The figures also share limbs, which simplifies the composition but also complicates assumptions about the relationship between the two beings. Mythological Rider has the same striated, scarified surface quality as many of Kumalo’s other bronze sculptures. The depth and curves in the form of the beast additionally create a sense of movement, and the rider pulling far back adds a further sense of dynamism to the composition. A visceral representation of power and submission, Mythological Rider represents a particular potency in the connection between two figures.

Provenance

Goodman Gallery.

Aspire, Johannesburg, November 2017, lot 104.

Private Collection.