Last Thursday evening a glamorous occasion took place in the Wanderers Club Ballroom Johannesburg, during which 50 magnificent garments of vintage couture from the private collection of South African fashion legend Chris Levin, went under the hammer.

Gregoire Boonzaier was, according to Dr Albert Werth, esteemed former director of the Pretoria Art Museum, the painter of Cape Town who was able, with his characteristic signature, to capture the city in all its changing beauty.1 That signature changed over time, making this early vision remarkable not only for what it reveals historically of the city in the 1940s but for its evidence of the artist’s early style.

The presence of these two impressive paintings by Robert Gwelo Goodman on one sale provides the rare opportunity of seeing some of the artists finest works and assessing how his French training and exposure to the international art world impacted on the development of his style. In 1895 he studied at Pariss famed Acadmie Julian where Henri Matisse was a fellow pupil. Following success in London when three landscape paintings were accepted at The Royal Academy in 1898 and a painting tour of India in 1903/4, he re-settled in South Africa in 1911.

An artist of uncompromising vision and brilliance…..

William Kentridge was commissioned to create ‘The Magic Flute’ by La Monnaie in Brussels where it opened in April 2005. Used in creating the animation sequences for his production, this drawing evokes the famous scene from the 1816 production with Karl Schinkels set designs in which the Queen of the Night appears beneath a star-studded vault.

A wide range of fine and decorative arts, furniture and jewellery will have punters spoilt for choice at Strauss & Cos upcoming auction to be held at the Vineyard Hotel, Newlands, on 8 October 2012.

Strauss & Co: At yesterdays Strauss & Co auction which took place at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, the extraordinary results totalling in excess of R37 million proved that the best art, decorative arts and jewellery are in great demand. Bidders competed actively for desirable items which were from private collections, fresh to the market and rarely seen at auction.

If you are looking for an excuse for a lovely day in the country in this case, Franschhoek and a chance to see a magnificent house with the contents arranged as though the owners have just popped out for a minute, go to Keerweder on Friday 19 October or the following two days. You can park in the area just round the corner from the Huguenot museum, whence a Citi Hopper will whisk you to the homestead itself. Viewing is 10am to 5pm each day and the sale, conducted by Strauss & Company, (tel. 021 683 6500) is on Monday 22nd.

The final sale of Strauss & Companys 2012 auction calendar is set for 12 November 2012. Comprising 237 items across the full spectrum of South African art there promises to be something for everyone, it is however the number of museum quality works that is sure to draw the buyers in.

The timelessness of Alexis Prellers iconography has been unequivocally demonstrated through the prices in excess of two million rand achieved by Strauss & Co in 2010. To the delight of collectors of top quality South African art, a feast of Alexis Preller works are being offered at the companys forthcoming auction in Johannesburg which takes place on Monday 12 November 2012.