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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Karel Nel

South African 1955- 


Karel Nel, born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, is a celebrated artist, curator, and scholar known for his sophisticated integration of art and science. With studies in Fine Art from the University of the Witwatersrand, St. Martin’s School of Art in London, and a Fulbright placement at the University of California, Berkeley, Nel’s career spans multiple disciplines and decades. Until 2017, he was an Associate Professor at Wits University and, in 2018, became Senior Advising Curator at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, where he curates major exhibitions featuring influential South African and international artists.

Since 2004, Nel has served as the resident artist with the COSMOS astronomical project, collaborating with global scientists to explore universal phenomena. His art draws on scientific themes, using materials like volcanic glass and baobab bark, creating works that are both conceptually rich and materially unique. Nel’s work is part of prominent collections worldwide, including the South African National Gallery, the Smithsonian, the Met, and the British Museum.

Image source: https://artthrob.co.za/07apr/artbio.html; Greg Marinovich


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