More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Activities & Experiences
Destinations
Food & Drink
Lifestyle
Live Events
Strauss & Co International Art Sale in Cape Town

The Strauss & Co International Art Sale Spotlights Picasso and Modernist Greats

A worldly consignment of paintings, sculptures, graphics and photography from the era of Modernism takes centre stage for Strauss & Co’s annual International Art Sale. The official sale takes place on 22 October 2024 and is headlined by eminent icons of the Modernist movement, Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso.

Various works by distinguished artists such as John Baldessari, Louise Bourgeois, Henry Moore, Shirin Neshat and Mimmo Paladino from the collection of legendary Johannesburg art dealer Linda Givon also feature. A series of expert walkabout and fringe events are also on the cards. Read on to get all the info.

What to expect at the Strauss & Co International Art Sale

This edition of the international art sale takes on a transformative period in art history from the seventeenth century right through to the present day.

“Owing to our geography and the parent cultures of many South African collectors, British and European artists feature strongly in the International Sale,” says Ian Hunter, Head of Sale, Strauss & Co. “There are many pioneers in this sale, among them Merlyn Evans, a pivotal figure in mid-century British art, and Shepard Fairey, a key protagonist in the street art movement of the past two decades. Our strong line-up of British painters includes three high-value works by Jack Vettriano. We are proud to debut at auction in South Africa works by influential artists John Baldessari, Louise Bourgeois and Robert Longo.”

6 Modernist masters to look out for at the sale

Strauss & Co International Art Sale in Cape Town

Marc Chagall

Dated in the later phase of Belorussian-born French painter Marc Chagall’s career, La Fenêtre à Paris / Window in Paris (estimate R6 – 8 million / $345 025 – 460 030) is a mixed-media drawing that depicts a small figure seated beside a large flower arrangement.

Chagall’s signature unfolds with dreamlike subject matter such as oversized bouquets and melancholia in rich colours while flexing elements of Expressionism and Cubism in a personal style.

Strauss & Co International Art Sale in Cape Town

Pablo Picasso

Picasso’s Tête / Head (estimate R6 – 8 million / $345 025 – 460 030) headlines the Strauss & Co International Art Sale with a recto-verso drawing from 1967 portraying a male figure in zesty colours. This work boasts an impeccable provenance and will be offered to the public in the premier Evening Sale, on Tuesday, 22 October 2024 at 7pm. The sale has a total of five works by Picasso, including three clay pieces.

Strauss & Co International Art Sale in Cape Town

Louise Bourgeois

One of the most celebrated artists of recent times, Louise Bourgeois’s graphic Scissors (estimate R30 000 – 50 000 / $1 742 – 2 905) is from a small edition produced in 1994 and references her early sketches. The artist is known for her biomorphic and autobiographical works that deal with the complex relationships of men and women.

Strauss & Co art sale Robert Longo

Robert Longo

Robert Longo’s lithograph Untitled (Frank) (estimate R500 000 – 700 000 / $29 020 – 40 630) is from his influential Men in the Cities series, featuring 60 hyper-realistic drawings of men and women in contorted poses.

“I always think that drawing is a sculptural process,” Longo has explained in an interview. “I always feel like I’m carving the image out rather than painting the image. I’m carving it out with erasers and tools like that.”

Strauss & Co art sale  Merlyn Evans

Merlyn Evans

The Evans oil work (estimate R100 000 – 150 000 / $5 810 – 8 710) is from 1932 and predates his brief teaching stint in South Africa (1938-42); it has been in the same family collection for a half-century. The British artist and printmaker lived in Durban and served in the South African Army, then the British Army, during World War II. These experiences strongly influenced his artistic style and output.

Strauss & Co art sale  Jack Vettriano

Jack Vettriano

Jack Vettriano – best known for his 1992 painting The Singing Butler which shows a couple dancing on the beach flanked by servants proffering umbrellas – has three works in the sale. They include Good Information (estimate R1.6 – 1.8 million / $91 955 – 103 450), which shows three gentlemen deep in contemplation, and The Proposal (estimate 1.2 – 1.5 million / $68 965 – 86 200), a romantic study of a barefoot couple in formal wear frolicking on a beach.

…plus Hockney, Bacon, Hirst, and many more!

The sale comprises a daytime and evening showcase where paintings by Cecil Beaton, Thomas Buttersworth, Merlyn Evans, John Piper, Edward Seago and Jack Vettriano, sculptural works by Lucas Samaras, Jesús Rafael Soto and Albert Toft, and photographs by Isaac Julien and Joel Sternfeld, all go under the hammer.

A strong graphics selection includes works by Francis Bacon, Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Robert Longo, Henry Moore and David Shrigley are also on display.

Insightful walkabouts

A preview of the full exhibition is on show from 10 to 22 October at Strauss & Co’s showroom at Brickfield Canvas in Woodstock. Two guided tours of the art sale will take place over the weekend – Senior Art Specialist Ian Hunter hosts a walkabout on Saturday, 19 October at 1:30pm, and art collector Frank Kilbourn will share some incredible insights on Sunday, 20 October at 12pm.

The official International Sale runs on Tuesday, 22 October both online and at the Strauss & Co showroom. See the e-catalogue here.

Need to know before you go

Cost: Free entry

When: Running from 10 to 22 October 2024. Various times. See the full event schedule here
Where: Strauss & Co, Brickfield Canvas, 35 Brickfield Road, Woodstock, Cape Town

Website: straussart.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @straussandco
Instagram: @strauss_and_co

See more art updates and exhibitions in Cape Town

If you liked this article, you may also like:

 

Join our exclusive newsletter where we carefully curate the best events, activities and experiences and deliver them right to your inbox!

Please take a few seconds and fill in the list details in order to subscribe to our list. You will receive an email to confirm your subscription, just to be sure this is your email address.