Perhaps not known to most people who have never attended an art auction, the preview days and walkabouts offered before a major art auction takes place are an excellent way of seeing extraordinary work that will soon disappear into private collections, of brushing up on your art knowledge and starting your own collection. This is especially the case with leading fine art auctioneer Strauss & Co’s prestigious live auctions.
Strauss & Co’s next major live auction of Important South African and International Art, Decorative Arts and Jewellery takes place in Cape Town on Monday March 5 and features a broad array of stunning items that including contemporary art by major artists like William Kentridge and Robert Hodgins, masterpieces by iconic 20th Century painters such as Irma Stern, JH Pierneef and Gerard Sekoto and an impressive collection of antique jewellery, silverware, ceramics, furniture and other collectibles.
All works from the auction go on show to the public at The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, Cape Town from March 2-4 as part of the pre-auction exhibition. The live auction takes place on Monday March 5. If you can’t be there in person to bid at the live auction, arrange with Strauss & Co to bid by phone or put in an absentee written bid for your chosen lot(s). All lots from the auction can also be viewed online at the Strauss & Co website.
Here’s our pick of ten of the most stunning lots from Strauss & Co’s March 5 live auction:
J. H Pierneef – Namibian Sunset (1923)
Lot #560, estimate R400,00-R600,000
Erik Laubscher – Still Life with Coffee Pot and Fruit (1952)
Lot #605, estimate R1.5 million-R2 million
Irma Stern – Reclining Nude (1962)
Lot #549, estimate R1 million-R1.5 million
Peter Clarke – Tree, Eroded Bank and Birds, Teslaarsdal, 1959
Lot #606, estimate R400,000 – R600,000
Clockwise from top left:
#Lot 34 Diamond necklace, tiara and aigrette by Falize, Paris 19th Century, estimate R200,000-R220,000
#Lot 72, Coral necklace, estimate R8,000-R10,000
#Lot 63 Diamond necklace, estimate R450,000-R500,000
#Lot 110, pair of gold and sapphire earrings, estimate R3,000-R4,000
Chinese yellow and pink glass snuff bottles (early 20th Century)
Lot #251, estimate R8,000-R10,000
Pair of Pierre Paulin ‘Model F780 Concorde’ easy chairs (designed 1970s)
Lot #372, estimate R20,000-R25,000
Alexis Preller – St Joesph’s Lilies in a pink vase (1940)
Lot #544, estimate R500,000-R700,000
Gerard Sekoto – The Donkey Water Carrier (1939-1942)
#Lot 584, estimate R1 million – R1.5 million
Robert Hodgins – Three characters in Search of a Painter – and I know some smart ass critic will say: “Well, they didn’t find him, did they?” (1998)
Lot #611, estimate R700,000-R900,000
Cape silver two handed sugar bowl by Daniel Heinrich Schmidt (late 18th-early 19th century)
Lot #351, estimate R100,000-R120,000
Edoardo Villa – The Family
Lot #602, estimate R140,000-R180,000
All lots from the upcoming Strauss & Co auction are on show to the public at The Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town from March 2-4 (exhibition open 10:00-17:00).
The live auction takes place on Monday March 5 over four sessions: Jewellery (10:30), decorative arts (14:00), fine art day sale (17:00), fine art evening sale (20:00).