Lemon Pickers is one of the most exciting Irma Stern paintings to come to the market in recent years. Of exceptional quality, it is a very early work, painted in 1928, confirming Stern as a unique and pioneering artist amongst her peers.

While Irma Stern still holds the record for the highest price ever paid for a South African painting on home soil, achieved when her Gladioli sold for R13 368 000 at Strauss & Co’s October 2010 auction, two paintings are competing for the top honours at Strauss & Co’s March 2011 auction.

Strauss & Co, Cape Town: An Irma Stern of Two Arabs last night set a new record for a work of art in South Africa when it sold in Cape Town for R21 166 000. The sale which totalled over R50 million set several new South African art auction records.

At an auction by Strauss & Co last night several new South African art auction records were established despite the weaker art market.

Strauss & Co, the worldwide market leader for South African art: We celebrate the closure of the year with an annual total of R170 million, over 90% of the total achieved in 2010 – which was a boom year for the art market – and double the total achieved in 2009.

Probably the best-known South African painting in the world, Frans Oerder’s still-life Magnolias, is to be auctioned in Johannesburg on the 9th of March by South Africa’s dynamic new auction house – Strauss & Co.

The old adage that "a work of art sells best in its country of origin" was proved at the first auction of Important South African Paintings, Watercolours and Sculpture conducted by Strauss & Co in Johannesburg last night.

In Strauss & Co’s upcoming inaugural Cape Town auction which takes place on 8 October 2009, a powerful study of an athlete balancing on his hands by Fanie Eloff is featured.

Strauss & Co is extremely proud to announce the appointment of Emma Bedford as Paintings Specialist starting from 1 November 2009. Although she will be based in the Cape Town office, she will liaise on a regular basis between Johannesburg and Cape Town. According to Stephan Welz, Managing Director of Strauss & Co, it is not often that someone of Bedford’s calibre becomes available. Highly regarded both locally and internationally, Bedford played an unequalled role as a Curator at Iziko South African National Gallery and as Director of Goodman Gallery Cape. She is an acknowledged expert in modern and contemporary art with particular reference to South African art, has extensive experience in curating exhibitions and collections management, has written and edited many publications and is a popular public speaker.

If the price of art and antiques is anything to go by, South Africa is fast coming out of it’s recession.