Strauss & Co | ICTAF Talk Series: Legacy in Motion – The Impact of Modern Art on Today’s Artists

Join Strauss & Co Senior Art Specialist & Head Curator, Wilhelm van Rensburg for a talk considering how contemporary artists have been inspired and influenced by Modernism.

Criticism of the stature of Contemporary African Art in art history has led to a renewed interest in the antecedents of today’s art, especially in Black Modernism. The aim of the talk is to show, through a series of legacy exhibitions at Strauss & Co over the past decade, that contemporary artists do stand on the shoulders of giants. These shows are based on the principle of pairing artists to highlight affinities in and through their work, for example pairing George Pemba and Robert Hodgins (2021), Mary Sibande and Dorothy Kay(2022), and, recently, Gerard Sekoto and Lena Hugo (2025).These legacy exhibitions are one of many examples of the deep-seated social responsibility ofStrauss & Co in terms of art education. The talk is augmented by considering how contemporary artists on the Investec Cape TownArt Fair might have been inspired and influenced by Modernism.​

Parking is limited. Paid entry to the Investec Cape Town Art Fair required.