3 – 11 October 2026
Strauss & Co is a silver sponsor of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
Strauss & Co returns to Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees with a dynamic programme of events, including exhibitions of paintings and art jewellery at Oude Leeskamer and public talks about collecting and the South African secondary market in the Town Hall. The exhibition Alles Behalwe Doodstil | Anything but Static features modern and contemporary still lifes by, among others, Georgina Gratrix, Erik Laubscher, Cecil Skotnes and Penny Siopis.
Strauss & Co is collaborating with Stellenbosch University’s Creative Jewellery and Metal Design Division on an exhibition of 15 art jewellers. Frank Kilbourn, Strauss & Co’s chairperson, joins an illustrious panel to discuss collecting. There is also a benefit auction featuring emerging and established artists, exhibition walkabouts, valuation days, various masterclasses, coffee raves and a sensory still-life event presented at the Town Hall in association with La Motte.
For enquiries please contact Strauss & Co | haneem@straussart.co.za | 076 242 5112
2026 Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction
Live Virtual Auction | Saturday, 10 October 2026 at 11am, Stellenbosch Town Hall
The fifth annual Toyota Stellenbosch Word Festival art auction is once again presented in collaboration with Strauss & Co, whose specialists have selected works by both emerging and established artists. The auction continues to place artistic excellence at the forefront, while emphasizing visibility and recognition of contemporary practices. The aim is to encourage both new and experienced collectors to invest in art, expand the market, and improve access to the work of leading local artists.
Alles Behalwe Doodstil | Anything but Static: A Selection of Modern and Contemporary Still Life Artworks
Strauss & Co Exhibition | Oude Leeskamer from 3 – 11 October
This exhibition bridges the gap between historical tradition and contemporary investigation. Still life, as an idea, continues to be explored today. While the classic motifs of flowers, fabrics, and food remain, the subject matter can be representative of personal, cultural, mythological, religious and philosophical themes.
This selection of works are both historical and contemporary, exploring how one can capture and comment on identity, culture, mythology, beliefs and views through the use of iconography, symbols and objects.
The exhibition brings together a special selection of artworks from the Kilbourn Collection, the Caro Wiese Collection, the Sanlam Collection and other private collections, alongside selected works from Strauss & Co’s upcoming auctions.
Where Jewellery and Still Life Meet
Online Auction 23 September – 14 October
This exhibition and auction positions art jewellery as a dynamic counterpart to still life painting. Where painting fixes a moment, jewellery mobilises it; where still life suggests stillness, jewellery introduces gesture, temporality and interaction. By bringing these disciplines into dialogue within the exhibition, a shift is proposed – from observation to participation, from image to object, and from stillness to movement – as contemporary jewellers respond to still life works through wearable forms.
Upcoming Events
Oude Leeskamer exhibition open daily 09:00 – 17:00 // Stadsaal exhibition open daily 10:00 – 17:00
Strauss & Co at the 2026 Toyota Stellenbosch WoordfeesView Events Calendar
3 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
ART EXHIBITION – Anything But Static: A Selection of Modern and Contemporary Still Life Artworks
3 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
3 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
5 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
Impressions of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale Di Venezia
5 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
JEWELLERY PREVIEW – Art Jewellery in Conversation with Still Life
6 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
Curator's Walkabout: Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction
8 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
MASTERCLASS – Anything But Static: Deconstructing the Still Life
8 October 2026 • Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
Curator's Walkabout: Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees Benefit Auction
About Oude Leeskamer
The Oude Leeskamer is a cultural and heritage centre situated in a historic building on the corner of Dorp and Drostdy Street in Stellenbosch. This space has served various purposes in the Stellenbosch community over the years.
Since its founding in 1815, the building has been a magistrate’s office, an annex to the Moederkerk and annex to the Theological Seminary. It has also served as a home to various local book clubs and the then Union Debating Society. More recently it has been a private residency, a guesthouse and home to an architectural firm. Significantly, it was in this very building that the idea of schools for the town originated, which eventually led to the founding of Stellenbosch University.
In 2017 the Oude Leeskamer became the property of the Jannie Mouton Foundation. The building was remarkably restored to now host five unique spaces, namely Jannie se Leeskamer, an art gallery, a writer’s flat, De Eetkamer Restaurant, and the Jannie Mouton Foundation offices.
