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Scenes of spaciousness and color top Strauss & Co's 2019 June online auction
4 Jun 2020
Scenes of open ranges and domestic beauty by a diverse list of artists substantially contributed to Strauss & Co’s positive June online sale, which earned R5.6 million from the 72% lots sold. JH Pierneef, a master of spaciousness and rural quiet, was the star performer, with three works by him placing in the top ten lots sold.
“This is the third sale we have hosted during the health lockdown, and the second online-only sale,” says Strauss & Co’s joint managing director Bina Genovese. “The lot and value sell-through rates once again exceeded our expectations. Wine continues to perform exceptionally well on our online platforms, and the Pierneef market is holding strong after a solid rebound last year.”
The top-selling lot was Pierneef’s undated oil, Bushveld Landscape, a work in which theatrical design is subordinated to fine brushwork. It fetched R351 750. Adept at recording the changeable light as day passes into night, Pierneef’s undated oil, Extensive Landscape, Dusk, sold for R187 600. A mixed-media portrait of fashion model Kate Moss by French-born, Los Angeles-based street artist Mr. Brainwash (aka Thierry Guetta) rounded off the top three lots sold, fetching R175 875.
“These are very high prices for our online-only sale and a marker of the confidence buyers have in our digital platform,” says Genovese. “Of the 516 registered bidders 194 were successful buyers, and more than a third of these buyers (41%) were new clients. Our message is spreading far and wide. We saw bidders from ten countries, including Australia, Germany and Qatar. The younger age profile is also encouraging.”
The art component of the sale which included a healthy mix of historical and contemporary artists contributed the lion’s share to the final tally. Notable lots sold included a 1977 watercolour by Walter Battiss, Still Life with a Jug of Flowers and Fruit, which sold for R140 700, and Lippy Lipshitz’s burnt marble Torso, which also surpassed expectations when it sold for R70 350.
There was robust bidding for the six lots by prematurely deceased painter Walter Meyer, whose Ruined Building from 2004 sold for R99 663. Other artists who performed well included Robert Hodgins, Gerhard Batha and Pieter van der Westhuizen, whose two sun-drenched landscapes beat expectations.
Amongst the selection of English and Continental silver pieces featured in the Decorative Arts section, the eye-catching George IV hot water jug, Hyam Hyams, London, 1828, ornately moulded with Greek mythological sea-gods sold for R17 588, whilst the Victorian silver-mounted glass claret jug, William Hutton & Sons, London, 1892 matched this selling price and also sold for R17 588. The pair of George V silver chocolate pots by Cooper Brothers & Sons Ltd, Sheffield, 1912 fetched
R10 553, which was double the low estimate. Oriental silver was represented by a wonderful Japanese milk jug, Meiji period, 1868-1912, moulded with irises and foliage, which surpassed its estimate dramatically selling for R7 622.
A popular segment of Strauss & Co’s digital offering, the wine session, focussed on South Africa’s heritage varieties of Chenin and Pinotage. The Pinotage selection from Kanonkop performed well with a special Salmanzar (9 litre) 2010 selling for R 11 725. Six-bottles of Beeslaar 2012 also fetched R14 070.
The Sadie Family offerings once again sold well with a South African white wine record in three-bottles of 2017 Mev Kirsten selling for R18 760! Six-bottle lots of Alheit Vineyards Radio Lazarus 2016 and Ken Forrester The FMC 2009 also trounced estimates, selling for R30 485 and R32 830 respectively. Solid overall results confirmed the healthy prices obtained in Strauss & Co’s white-glove sale of Bordeaux-style wines in May. Of the 85 wine lots offered in its June online-only sale, 81 found buyers.
Strauss & Co will be donating a portion of the proceeds from this auction to the Solidarity Fund.
Every weekday at 4pm, Strauss & Co hosts a themed Talkabout on Zoom as part of its marketing and education drive. In the lead up to its June online-only sale, Strauss & Co’s senior art specialist Alastair Meredith drew attention to German-born Erich Mayer’s achievements. This directed focus paid dividends. All four lots by Mayer, an accomplished watercolourist, found buyers, with Bushveld Scene with Ox Cart from 1945 selling for R32 830.
Strauss & Co will continue with its energetic weekday digital assemblies throughout the winter months of June and July, highlighting artists and works appearing on its next online-only sale (29 June – 6 July) and hybrid virtual sale (27 July), as well as drawing attention to important South African museums. To join Strauss & Co’s the Zoom Talkabout login here:
Meeting ID: 833 5800 2411
2020 Press Releases
November
- 2 Nov 2020 Contemporary South African ceramics get star billing in Strauss & Co sale
- 5 Nov 2020 Stern marine landscape leads Strauss & Co’s offering of rare and high-value lots
- 5 Nov 2020 Strauss & Co’s Pierneef selection comprises everything from the iconic to the unique
- 13 Nov 2020 Strauss & Co’s NORTH/SOUTH sale topped by Irma Stern, but new trends emerge
- 27 Nov 2020 Strong online sale caps a year of innovation and change at Strauss & Co
October
- 8 Oct 2020 Strauss & Co to offer the Tasso Foundation Collection of important South African art assembled by the late Giulio Bertrand of Morgenster
- 9 Oct 2020 Bold ideas and new categories inform North/South, Strauss & Co 2019 new four-day sale
- 13 Oct 2020 From Pierneef to Makamo: a heritage of artistic pedigree in Strauss & Co 2019 Spring online-only auction
- 14 Oct 2020 Innovating in lockdown Emerging Painting Invitational launches a special collaboration with Strauss & Co
- 28 Oct 2020 Letter from the Chairperson
September
August
- 13 Aug 2020 Consignments open for North/South, Strauss & Co's 2019 new cross-country virtual sale
- 24 Aug 2020 Gladys Mgudlandlu and Maggie Laubser lead Strauss & Co 2019 diverse presentation at the 2020 RMB Turbine Art Fair
- 24 Aug 2020 Strauss & Co's 2019 fifth online-only auction of 2020 highlights the importance of charity
July
- 1 Jul 2020 Decorative Arts Highlights on the July Online Auction
- 1 Jul 2020 Strauss & Co pulls back the wraps on Winter Online Sale
- 18 Jul 2020 Major Pierneef Landscape heads Strauss & Co July flagship auction
- 23 Jul 2020 From Venice to Virtual: Strauss & Co's 2019 sale features acclaimed contemporary artists
- 27 Jul 2020 Strauss & Co's live virtual auction sets new South African wine record with Kanonkop
- 30 Jul 2020 Stalwarts and newcomers ensure solid results at Strauss & Co's 2019 three-day live sale
June
- 4 Jun 2020 Scenes of spaciousness and color top Strauss & Co's 2019 June online auction
- 15 Jun 2020 Supporting Workers in the Golf Industry
- 22 Jun 2020 Strauss & Co's 2019 three-day July sale climaxes with an impressive survey collection of art
May
- 13 May 2020 Strauss & Co's healthy sale affirms resilience and liquidity of collector market
- 22 May 2020 From Volschenk to Armstrong: Two centuries of South African art on view in Strauss & Co's large-scale online auction
April
- 3 Apr 2020 2020 Online Auction: Decorative Arts & Jewellery to suit every pocket
- 3 Apr 2020 Strauss & Co 2019 tried-and-tested online platform builds bridges during the lockdown
- 17 Apr 2020 Strauss & Co 2019 digital journey pays dividends in a changing business landscape
- 24 Apr 2020 New format for live auction scheduled for 10 and 11 May 2020
- 28 Apr 2020 Travelling artists: Battiss, Pierneef, Preller and Stern lead Strauss & Co's 2019 Live Virtual May sale
- 28 Apr 2020 Trove of superb Irma Stern paintings tops Strauss & Co's 2019 Live Virtual May sale
February
- 11 Feb 2020 Strauss & Co to offer impressive single-owner collection of contemporary African art
- 17 Feb 2020 Stellar debuts for young artists at Strauss & Co's 2019 contemporary art sale
January