The astonishing shift, over the last decade and a half, in the reputation and value of one of South Africa’s most iconic and recognisable artists, Vladimir Tretchikoff, is nothing short of remarkable. Once dismissively relegated by critics as ‘The King of Kitsch’, he is now recognised as a trailblazer who produced works that were at
Watch Now Head of Department, Dr Alastair Meredith discussing Vladimir Tretchikoff’s Lady from the Orient (1955)
CAPE TOWN – The much-loved Russian-born Cape Town painter Vladimir Tretchikoff’s Balinese Girl, an absorbing portrait of a young Indonesian woman in traditional dress, thought to be painted circa 1954-56, sold to a telephone buyer at Strauss & Co’s evening sale of modern and contemporary art for R5 718 750 / $324 842, a new SA record. Earlier
CAPE TOWN – A pinnacle work by Vladimir Tretchikoff, the much-loved Russian-born Cape Town painter whose vivid portraiture and canny marketing strategies prefigured Pop art, leads Strauss & Co’s September Auction Week (16 – 18 September 2024). Painted circa 1954-56, Balinese Girl (estimate R5 – 7 million/ $278 520 – $390 000) derives from Tretchikoff’s classic period, when he originated such iconic works as Chinese Girl (1952) and Lady from Orient(1955).
