Art for all Seasons in Strauss & Co’s May Online Sale including a selection of works from the Cecil and Thelma Skotnes Estate

6 May 2024

Featuring works representing the four Seasons and a dedicated session of works by Cecil Skotnes, this month’s sale builds on Strauss & Co’s increasingly popular online sale offering works aimed at first-time buyers, established collectors, and those simply interested in learning more about South African Modern and Contemporary art.

Navigating the Seasons, and a selection of works from the Skotnes Estate  

Harmonious and ever-changing, the four Seasons inspire the curatorial framework for this month’s themed session. It’s a simple, but exciting sale, says Strauss & Co Art Specialist Elmarie van Straten. 

“Strauss & Co’s team of specialists have selected works representing the four Seasons and grouped them in a single session. It’s a largely Modernist session with a wide range of works on offer.”

Three strong works characterise Seasons, namely Frans Oerder, Landscape with Horses (estimate R40 000- 60 000) David Botha’s De Oude Gebou, Hoofstraat, Paarl (estimate R30 000 – 50 000) featuring a painting and print as a single lot, and Jan Ernst Abraham Volschenk’s grand landscape Darkness is Stealing On, in the Langeberge, Riverdale (estimate R50 000 – 70 000) painted where the artist grew up and lived. 

A selection of works by Cecil Skotnes makes up an additional session. Titled the Cecil and Thelma Skotnes Estate, Cecil and Thelma Skotnes welcomed artists and friends into their home with generous hospitality and lively conversation. Cecil was so much more than one of South Africa’s most exciting contemporary artists of his day, but he is also remembered as an educator and mentor to many. The variety of artists and artwork in this collection speaks of his association with the Amadlozi group and his connection to his contemporaries in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Highlights in this session include Skotnes’ vibrant Red & Yellow Landscape (estimate 80 000 – 120 000), the quintessential Red Figure (estimate R40 000 – 50 000) and the sculptural work, Head (estimate R80 000 – 120 000).

Art/Club: Book launch and walkabouts

On Tuesday 7 May at Strauss & Co’s Cape Town offices, May Art/Club sees an expansion of the usual format to include a book launch and Q&A with artist and author Dominique Cheminais at 6pm. Paintings by Cheminais, which feature characters from her book, The Maze, will be on exhibition, available for immediate purchase, and featured works  Little Lester (estimates R 8 000 – 12 000),  Dora’s Only Friends (R 30 000 – 50 000) and five others included in the Art/Club session.

Preceding this is a walkabout by Strauss & Co specialists at 5:30pm. Each specialist will highlight their favourite in the Seasons session of the sale.

“There are incredibly strong works in the Seasons session and we are also excited about the added element of a book launch and Q&A which lends a contemporary flair to the evening,” says van Straten.

In the Art/Club session, lots to watch are Angus Taylor’s On Land, in Water (estimate R120 000 – 160 000), Fringe’s, As a Measure of Good Faith (estimate R30 000 – 50 000), the William Kentridge print, Zeno Writing Chairs (estimate R35 000- 45 000), and the wonderfully surreal Peter Clarke work Which Side/is Which Side? What’s on the Other Side? (estimate R40 000 – 60 000).

Alexander Rose-Innes’ enchanting oil painting The Artist’s Studio (estimate R30 000 – 40 000) and Johannes Meintjes’ Kopstudie in Wit (Study of a Head in White) (JM 696) (estimate R35 000 – 45 000) both feature on the Impression/Expression session, while highlights of the Re/View session include Cecil Higgs’ extraordinary Abstract Composition in Green and Blue (estimate R20 000 – 30 000), Norman Catherine’s playful Curriculum Vitae (estimate R20 000 – 30 000) and another Angus Taylor work, Man and Monument (estimate R120 000 to 150 000) which features two figures in bronze with a verdigris patina. 

Making collecting accessible and informative

Strauss & Co’s monthly ART online sales have, over recent years, gained increasing popularity, with both first-time and established collectors recognising the value and the ease of purchasing art online.

“The sales are accessible, they have a wide reach, and they’re open to a wide audience,” explains van Straten. “You don’t have to be in Cape Town, you can be anywhere in the world to participate in these sales. Our specialists have also handpicked the works on sale. We’ve researched them, authenticated them, and catalogued them – all you need to do is go online, register, browse, bid and buy.”   

The monthly ART online sales have also become known for their variety, both in terms of the range of art on offer, and the price points. Everything from prints and oils, to photography and sculpture is on the sale, while some of the works are priced as low as R1000.

Similarly, the Strauss & Co website serves as a repository of information. Those interested in a specific artist can use the website’s artist index to gain further context on the artist and their work, as well as use the website’s wish list function to receive updates about a specific artist every time their work appears on a sale.

The May ART sale opens for bidding on Friday, 3 May at 8am. Each lot closes at 1-minute intervals, starting from 2pm on Monday 13 May. Strauss & Co’s timed online sales close lots consecutively, starting from lot 1. Each lot is open for bidding until its specified closing time.

To register, browse, bid or buy please visit www.straussart.co.za