Artists

From Albert Adams to Portia Zvavahera, Strauss & Co maintains a detailed database of every artist sold at auction since 2009. Whether it is painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, ceramics or new media, this searchable database lists by artist every lot offered and provides aggregated data useful to collectors. Famous South African artists like William Kentridge, JH Pierneef, Alexis Preller and Irma Stern are introduced with helpful biographies along with the best contemporary artists.



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Durant Sihlali

South African 1935-2004 


Durant Basi Sihlali, born in 1935 in Germiston, was a pioneering South African artist known for his realistic portrayals of township life and rural landscapes under apartheid. After spending part of his childhood in Cala, Eastern Cape, where he was inspired by Xhosa wall murals, he began his formal art education at the Chiawelo Art Centre under Alphius Kubeka (1950-1953), later learning from Carlo Sdoya and Sidney Goldblatt. From 1953 to 1958, he trained under Cecil Skotnes at the Polly Street Art Centre.

Unlike many contemporaries exploring abstraction and African symbolism, Sihlali remained committed to realism, documenting urban black life in South Africa with a sensitive eye. His prolific output included watercolours, monotypes, sculpture, and printmaking. In the 1980s, his work took on new forms influenced by graffiti and traditional mural art after studying at Villa Arson in France.

From 1983 to 1988, Sihlali led the Fine Arts Department at the Federated Union of Black Artists (FUBA) and mentored students from Wits Technikon and Funda Art Centre. His work is included in major collections such as the University of Fort Hare, the National Museum of Botswana, and various South African corporate collections. He died in Soweto in 2004.


90 lots offered      62.22% sold      ZAR 751 372
 

  Including Premium and VAT Results include Buyer's Premium and VAT
Durant Sihlali; Sunset at Duduza; Zulu Woman; The Coal Merchant, three
18 Sep 2017
Sold for ZAR 4 450
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; Horse and Cart, Alexandra Township
18 Sep 2017
Sold for ZAR 4 684
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; Street Market
5 Jun 2017
Sold for ZAR 45 472
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; Gumboot Dancers
9 Apr 2017
Sold for ZAR 11 710
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; Sangoma Ritual Dance
9 Apr 2017
Sold for ZAR 37 472
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; Working Figures and a Mule
6 Feb 2017
Sold for ZAR 7 026
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; The Initiate
7 Nov 2016
ZAR 40 000 - 60 000
 
Durant Sihlali; Rhimi Wall II
7 Nov 2016
ZAR 30 000 - 40 000
 
Durant Sihlali; Porcupine
7 Nov 2016
ZAR 25 000 - 35 000
 
Durant Sihlali; Working Figures and A Donkey Cart
18 Jul 2016
ZAR 7 000 - 10 000
 
Durant Sihlali; Street Vendors
29 Sep 2015
Sold for ZAR 10 539
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
Durant Sihlali; Energy Force, triptych
27 Jul 2015
ZAR 30 000 - 50 000