Cape Town Auction Week at Strauss & Co: What to Expect

Africa’s leading auction house is preparing for another stellar edition of Cape Town Auction Week, running from 22 to 26 March. Strauss & Co’s gallery space at Brickfield Canvas in Woodstock will play host to art paintings, sculptural works, collectable jewellery and furniture.

“The March sales demonstrate the breadth of Strauss & Co’s specialist expertise, bringing together museum-quality works by major modernists, important private collections and a dynamic selection of contemporary art,” says Bina Genovese, Managing Executive at Strauss & Co.

This time around, auction week starts with a guided walkabout of the works on show, a fascinating art talk focused on the work of George Pemba, and light refreshments. Entry to the auctions and events is free. Here’s what you need to know:

See what’s in store for Cape Town Auction Week this March

Strauss & Co Cape Town Auction Week in Cape Town | What's On in Cape Town

Join the Art Talk and curator’s walkabout on Sunday

Keep your Sunday morning free for a guided preview of Cape Town Auction Week. The Specialist Walkabout is led by experts in South African collectables. Pier and Jo-Marie Rabe will speak on Cape furniture, Esther Esmyol will cover Oriental ceramics and glass, and Jeremy Astfalck will focus on silver.

If you’re keen to deepen your understanding of art, Senior Art Specialist and Head Curator Wilhelm van Rensburg will also share insights into the life and work of iconic artist George Pemba.

Tea and light refreshments will be served.

Cost: Free entry, but online rsvp is required to save your spot

When: Sunday, 22 March. Walkabout, from 10:30am to 11:30am. Art Talk, from 12pm
Where: Strauss & Co at Brickfield Canvas, 35 Brickfield Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town

Rare works by the Black Modernists, Stern, Pierneef and South Africa’s foremost artists

The 96-lot Evening Sale: Modern and Contemporary Art on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, includes high-value works by J. H. Pierneef, Alexis Preller, Irma Stern, Vladimir Tretchikoff and William Kentridge, five of the most successful artists at auction in the company’s history.

“We are privileged to steward the sale of several important private collections in these March auctions,” says Bina Genovese, Managing Executive at Strauss & Co. “The Evening Sale opens with Irma Stern’s striking 1942 gouache Canoes on the Congo River (estimate R150 000 – 200 000) from the Stan and Li Boiskin Art Collection. Stan and Li Boiskin were notable Cape Town cultural patrons who were active in community organisations and public life, and it is a privilege for Strauss & Co to bring works from their collection to market.”

The Stan and Li Boiskin Art Collection includes an assembly of works by major South African modernists such as Maggie Laubser, George Pemba, Pierneef, Cecil Skotnes and Irma Stern.

A notable consignment of works by pioneer Black modernists is led by Gerard Sekoto’s Game of Draughts in a Crowd (estimate R800 000 – 1.2 million). Painted shortly after the artist relocated to Johannesburg in 1939, this important work is consigned from the Patricia Fine Art Collection. Patricia Fine (née Sulcas Kreiner), a former mayor of Cape Town, was widely recognised for her cultural patronage and civic commitment. The painting appeared in Sekoto’s career survey at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 1989.

The group of Black modernists in the sale also includes works by Peter Clarke and George Pemba, artists whose influence continues to resonate with younger painters such as Mmangaliso Nzuza, whose 2023 portrait Still Becoming (estimate R90 000 – 120 000) is included in the sale.

Three significant paintings by Irma Stern appear in the Evening Sale, including the enigmatic late portrait Mantilla (estimate R3 – 5 million) and Slender Nude (estimate R1 – 1.5 million), both from 1961 and associated with the artist’s stay in the Spanish port city of Alicante.

The seven Pierneef works range from oils to watercolours and include the rare Cape casein Twin Peaks, Jonkershoek (circa 1928, estimate R600 000 – 800 000). Another highlight is the early oil Sunlit Mountains, Clarens (estimate R1 – 1.2 million), created in 1918, a pivotal year when Pierneef left his position at the state library to focus on teaching and painting.

Cost: Free entry

When: Tuesday, 24 March. The Day Sale starts online at 2pm, and the Evening Sale starts live at Strauss & Co and online from 7pm
Where: Strauss & Co at Brickfield Canvas, 35 Brickfield Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town

The Contemporary Art showcase

The contemporary selection is led by a double-sided drawing by William Kentridge featuring a preparatory sketch for his 1992 theatre production Woyzeck on the Highveld (estimate R1.5 – 2 million). Adapted from an unfinished play by the German dramatist Georg Büchner, the production marked the beginning of Kentridge’s celebrated collaborations with the Handspring Puppet Company. Additional contemporary highlights include two paintings by Georgina Gratrix, Composition with Eyes and All that Glitters (estimates for each R150 000 – 200 000), from 2003 and 2021 respectively, as well as two colour-infused portraits by Mustafa Maluka (estimate for each R200 000 – 300 000).

Mary Sibande’s photograph To Everything There Is a Season (2019, estimate R350 000 – 500 000) has been widely exhibited in museums and art fairs, including presentations in Johannesburg, London and Washington, D.C. Igshaan Adams is represented by two works from 2019, including Cloud VIII (estimate R200 000 – 300 000), a suspended sphere of intertwined wires adorned with beads that showcases his effortless ability to merge textile and sculptural traditions. Adams is currently presenting a solo exhibition at Mudam – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean in Luxembourg.

Sculpture is another strong feature of the Evening Sale and includes works by Norman Catherine, Guy du Toit, Kendell Geers, Lucas Sithole, Anton Smit, Willem Strydom and Angus Taylor. Doreen Southwood’s The Swimmer (2003, estimate R70 000 – 100 000), depicting a female bather poised on the end of a diving board, won the overall prize at the Brett Kebble Art Awards in 2003. A maquette of Male Trans-Figure I (S268) by the much-loved Dylan Lewis (estimate R300 000 – 500 000) also features.

Cost: Free entry

An important collection of Cape Silver, Oriental Ceramics, and Furniture

Strauss & Co will also present Generations of Collecting: An Important Collection of Cape Silver, Oriental Ceramics, Furniture and Art on Wednesday, 25 March 2026. This two-part live virtual sale reflects the Cape’s long-standing role as a meeting point of European craftsmanship, Asian trade and local design.

Highlights at Cape Town Auction Week include an early Cape silver tea caddy from 1760 by Johan Anton Bünning (estimate R70 000 – 90 000) and a rare communion cup by Daniel Hockley (estimate R30 000 – 40 000), alongside Chinese and Japanese ceramics, as well as VOC (Dutch East India Company) export pieces.

The furniture selection features notable pieces that display the versatility of Cape wood, which retains impeccable shine. The works on show include a Van der Stel-period rusbank (estimate R25 000 – 30 000), a partner’s desk believed to have been designed by architect Herbert Baker for Groote Schuur (estimate R15 000 – 20 000), and statement storage shelves in the Baroque and Neoclassical style.

Further notable collections to review are the oversized Chinoiserie, the classic Chinese Ming-style pottery with strokes of rich cobalt blue. Lovers of fine jewellery can expect a small selection of precious items ranging from a handcrafted coin purse dating back to the 17th century, to a darling charm bracelet, which will be cherished for generations

A selection of landscape paintings by artists such as Gwelo Goodman, J. H. Pierneef and Gregoire Boonzaier adds further context, reflecting the Cape’s changing social and physical landscape.

Cost: Free entry

When: Wednesday, 25 March. The Day Sale starts live at Strauss & Co and online from 2pm, and the Evening Sale from 7pm
Where: Strauss & Co at Brickfield Canvas, 35 Brickfield Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town