Curatorial Voices: African Landscapes, Past and Present

Live Virtual Auction, 19 February 2024

Curatorial Voices: African Landscapes, Past and Present
About the Session

From Thomas Baines to Jake Aikman, Curatorial Voices: African Landscapes, Past and Present will showcase art by pioneering modernist and trailblazing contemporary artists, spanning 175 years of visual landscape painting on the African continent. This comprehensive auction reveals a nuanced understanding of the diverse cultural, historical, and environmental contexts that have shaped artistic representations of the landscape. Through an examination of various themes, the auction seeks to engage viewers in a dialogue that transcends time and space, connecting past representations to contemporary perspectives. The auction attempts to engage with the diversity of artists that have shaped and continue to shape the depiction of Africa through time.

The auction invites viewers on a captivating journey through the artistic expressions that mirror the multifaceted nature of African terrain. Through meticulous  curation and insightful analysis, the catalogue aspires to be a valuable resource for scholars, art enthusiasts and anyone eager to embark on a thought-provoking exploration of Africa’s rich and complex artistic heritage.

Curatorial Voices
Recognising the dynamic discourse surrounding African Landscape, both past and present, the auction features texts by invited contemporary curators responding to the auction selection and themes. As external voices, they provide critical insights into the complexities of the landscape theme. By amplifying these contemporary perspectives, the exhibition seeks to bridge the gap between traditional representations and the ever-evolving discourse on the role of African art within the global art market.

Azza Satti, Independent Curator, Kenya
Azu Nwagbogu, Founder and Director of the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), Nigeria
Camilla van Hoogstraten, Head of Sales, Latitudes Online
Ugoma Ebilah, Curator, Gallerist & Founder of Bloom Art
Nkgopoleng Moloi, Independent Curator, South Africa


Sold for

ZAR 49 245
Lot 9
  • Harris and Bowler after Thomas Baines; Landeers Assisting Ambushed Portuguese Gunboat in Lupata Gorge, Zambezi River 1858
  • Harris and Bowler after Thomas Baines; Landeers Assisting Ambushed Portuguese Gunboat in Lupata Gorge, Zambezi River 1858
  • Harris and Bowler after Thomas Baines; Landeers Assisting Ambushed Portuguese Gunboat in Lupata Gorge, Zambezi River 1858


Lot Estimate
ZAR 80 000 - 120 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 49 245
Location
Cape Town

About this Item

Harris and Bowler after Thomas Baines
1820-1875
Landeers Assisting Ambushed Portuguese Gunboat in Lupata Gorge, Zambezi River 1858

signed

oil on canvas
37 by 74,5cm excluding frame; 49,5 by 86 by 4cm including frame

Notes

The flag flown by the Gunboat in the present lot is the Portuguese Ensign (National flag of Portugal for use at sea) in use between 1830 and 1910 during the reign of Queen Maria II.

Provenance

Christie’s, London, 19 February 1971, Lot 76.

Messrs Frank R Thorold, Johannesburg.

Estate late Professor Munger, Los Angeles.

A N Abell Auction Company, Los Angeles, 22 May 2022, lot 176.

Private Collection.

Literature

V L Bosazza (1975) Thomas Baines on the Zambesi, unpublished thesis, illustrated on page 37A with the inscription ‘Landeens (Zoulus) assisting ambushed Portuguese gunboat in the Lupata Gorge, Zambesi River. Description in pencil on the stretcher in David Livingston’s handwriting.’