From ceramics to tapestry, painting to photography, furniture to glass, Strauss & Co announces its rich spring auction programme

30 Aug 2024

“The strong focus on contemporary art in September Auction Week belies the richness and diversity of expression that will be on offer,” says Bina Genovese, Managing Executive, Strauss & Co. “No single media defines contemporary expression. Our catalogues for this marquee auction week include magnificent colourist paintings by Misheck Masamvu and Simphiwe Ndzube, impressive drawings by Kemang Wa Lehulere and Diane Victor, poignant portrait photographs by Pieter Hugo and Zanele Muholi, delightful ceramic pieces by Hylton Nel and his protégé Nico Masemola, as well as two striking tapestries by Athi Patra-Ruga.”

Adds Bina Genovese: “Confirming our reputation for handling important single-owner collections, we will be offering important photographs from the collections of pre-eminent immigration lawyer Gary Eisenberg and legendary art dealer Linda Givon, as well as photographs from the Photographic Archival and Preservation Association (PAPA) Collection of South African vintage prints. Our sale devoted to Hylton Nel includes a single-owner collection of works acquired directly from the artist over two decades, during his years in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Bethulie.”

The schedule for September Auction Week encompasses three live-virtual auctions and two online-only auctions. The live programme commences with A World in Clay: Hylton Nel’s Ceramic Studio, a 49-lot sale of works by Hylton Nel made between 1982 and 2004, taking place on Tuesday, 17 September 2024 at 5pm. This single-artist sale includes Nel’s iconic Weeping Cat (estimate R80 00 – 120 000), quoted in reproduction for Dior’s 2025 men’s summer catwalk show in Paris in June, and a pair of Cats on Yellow Bases from 2001 (estimate R150 000 – 200 000).

The Nel sale is immediately followed by a premium Evening Sale of Modern and Contemporary Art on the same day at 7pm. Vladimir Tretchikoff’s iconic Balinese Girl (estimate R5 – 7 million) and J H Pierneef’s striking depiction of the Levubu River (estimate R2.2 –2.8 million) lead a strong catalogue of modernist works by, among others, Peter Clarke, Maggie Laubser, George Pemba, Alexis Preller, Gerard Sekoto and Irma Stern. Important contemporary artists represented in this sale include Gerald Machona, Esther Mahlangu, Blessing Ngobeni and Brett Seiler.

Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography, Strauss & Co’s maiden stand-alone photography sale, will take place on Wednesday, 18 September 2024 at 7pm. Notable works from The Linda Givon Collection include two black-and-white portraits from 1972 by David Goldblatt (estimate R150 000 – 200 000 and R180 000 – 240 000 respectively) and an early sticky-tape transfer from 2017 by Mikhael Subotzky (estimate R40 000 – 60 000). The Gary Eisenberg Collection of South African and International Photography includes works by Roger Ballen, Bill Brandt, Nan Goldin, Pieter Hugo, André Kertész, Bettina Rheims, Sebastião Salgado, Guy Tillim and Wolfgang Tillmans, among others. 

September Auction Week is bookended by two online-only sales. The Day Sale of Modern and Contemporary Art includes ceramic pieces by John Nowers and Nico Masemola, two figures closely associated with Hylton Nel. It opens on Monday, 9 September concluding on Monday, 16 September 2024 at staggered intervals from 2pm.

Strauss & Co’s decorative arts and design department has curated a focussed selection of furniture, glassware, ceramics and jewellery for the Mid-Century Modern Sale. The presentation spans the period 1906 to the present and includes pieces by important mid-century furniture makers Jakob Berg, Osvaldo Borsani, Ib Kofod-Larsen, Charlotte Perriand, Joseph Hoffman, Gunni Omann and Giuseppe Scapinelli. Highlights include a set of four Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen Model 316 teak dining chairs (estimate R75 000 – 80 000), a pair of René Joubert and Philippe Petit Art Deco club chairs designed for the S.S. Normandie ocean liner (estimate R30 000 – 35 000) and the beautiful illuminated Lalique ‘Tulipes’ centrepiece (R100 000 – R110 000).

The Mid-Century Modern sale features contemporary makers too, notably five pieces by acclaimed South African designer Laurie Wiid van Heerden and a ‘Wave’ dining table by Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue (estimate R 50 000 – 70 000). This sale includes ceramics by Clarice Cliff, Linn Ware / Ceramic Studio, Dorothy Hafner, and Stig Lindberg and some Georg Jensen jewellery collaborations. This online-only sale concludes on Wednesday, 18 September 2024 from 2pm. 

Full details for September Auction Week, including details of individual lots featured in the six sales, are available online. 

www.straussart.co.za

September Auction Week Cape Town, 2024 

LIVE VIRTUAL
A World in Clay: Hylton Nel’s Ceramic Studio
Tuesday 17 Sep @ 5pm 

Modern and Contemporary Art: Evening Sale 
Tuesday 17 Sep @ 7pm 

Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography
Wed 18 Sep @ 7pm 

TIMED ONLINE
Modern and Contemporary Art: Day Sale
3 – 16 Sep 

Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Opens 8:00am Fri, 6 Sep 2024 Closes Wednesday 18 September 

PREVIEW
Wednesday 28 August to Wednesday 18 September 2024

EVENTS
Saturday 14 September 2024
Family Day: Colours of Spring, Flowers and Collage, 9:30 for 10am 
Walkabout with Frank Kilbourn and the Specialists, 12:30pm
Light snacks will be served  

Sunday 15 September 2024
Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography Talk, followed by a film screening of Billy Monk: Shot in The Dark, 12:30pm
Light snacks will be served  

PRE-AUCTION SUNDOWNERS: 
A World in Clay: Hylton Nel’s Ceramic Studio
Tuesday 17 September, 4pm 

Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale
Tuesday 17 September, 6pm 

Ways of Seeing: South African and International Photography
Including The Gary Eisenberg Collection, The Linda Givon Collection, The Photographic Archival and Preservation Association and Other Properties
Wednesday 18 September, 6pm