The International Sale: Celebrating Four Centuries of Art from 30 Countries  

17 Oct 2026

Strauss & Co is pleased to offer our fourth annual International Sale, which presents artworks that span four centuries by artists from thirty countries. The live-virtual auction will take place in Cape Town on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at 7:00 pm.  

Embedded within the sale’s many art movements and periods are stories about the complex histories and trends that brought the works to South Africa. Ian Hunter, Head of Sale and Senior Art Specialist at Strauss & Co, shared that “South Africa’s place in the Dutch and British Empires, along with its strategic position at the foot of Africa, ensured that works came here from all around the world.”  

Ian Hunter sees these historic trade routes and generations of migration as strong “currents” which have carried artworks to the country’s shores. Juvenal Sansó’s The Changing Tides (lot 2, estimates of R200 000 – 300 000) brings this metaphor to life. Trade and navigation are also recalled by maritime paintings like P H Siems’ U.S.S. Essex – 6 Guns Commander A. H. M. Cormick in Table Bay (lot 12, estimates of R10 000 – 15 000) and Montague Dawson’s Under Sail (lot 13, estimates of R9 000 – 12 000). 

The Dutch and British painting schools represented in the sale can be connected to the collecting habits of early colonists who sought to express their Eurocentric identity through the art on their walls. Highlights that epitomise the Dutch Golden Age include the still life Flowers in a Vase (lot 59, estimates of R60 000 – 80 000), while A Hazy Morning by Benjamin Williams Leader (lot 126, estimates of R220 000 – 260 000) and Portrait of a Gentleman (lot 117, estimates of R10 000 – 15 000) express the drama and realism that defined Victorian landscape paintings and portraiture. 

Though many international artists were brought to South Africa by families who immigrated from or fled Europe during the 19^th and early 20^th century, Ian shared that “by the mid-20^th century, South Africans were able to buy the greatest hits from international modern artists as prints and multiples.” He added that “these limited-edition prints came to the country through various agents, dealers and galleries.” This accessibility of artworks by important modern artists is reflected in the inclusion of etchings, linocuts and signed lithographs by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró and Georg Baselitz. 

The International Sale also includes photographic works from contemporary artists such as Shirin Neshat, Lucas Samaras and Isaac Julien. Neshat’s work, Untitled, Turbulent Series (lot 66, estimates of R1 200 000 – 1 500 000), is a particularly striking exploration of the marginalisation of women within suppressive Muslim communities.  Another standout photograph is Nuit de Noël (Christmas Eve, Happy Club), 1963 (lot 71, estimates of R150 000 – 200 000) by the Malian photographer Malick Sidibé. The image is part of Sidibé’s playful portfolio of photographs that captured the fashion trends and hopeful spirit in Mali after the country’s independence from France in 1960. 

Other African artists in The International Sale are Muraina Oyelami from Nigeria, Fabian Mpagi from Uganda and Pilipili Mulongoy from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Irma Stern’s repatriated Two Women (lot 31, estimates of R6 000 000 – 8 000 000) and Erik Laubscher’s Young Family (recto); Construction (verso) (lot 48, estimates of R3 000 000 – 5 000 000) are also included for the role that travelling and the absorption of European trends played in the output of the renowned South African artists.  

The variety of artworks in The International Sale reflects the passion and diverse interests of a global collector base. “Partnering with Invaluable means we reach the homes of collectors around the world,” explained Ian Hunter.  He also acknowledged the role interest from South African collectors has played in the success of The International Sale.