Notes

“Of all our artists, Preller is probably the one of whom I would like to own all the works I have seen; except his sculptural relief works, which never appealed to me. Where I could, I purchased some of his work for the Strydom Gallery and am very grateful that we can finally own four works – which we can still enjoy every day and appreciate all the more.” — Dr Matthys J Strydom, 2021

Alexis Preller visited Paris in 1946 and when he “was not studying the riches at the Louvre, he often prowled the bookshops of Montmartre. One day, he came upon a rare treasure, a beautiful and very costly illustrated book on Hieronymus Bosch (c1450-1516). The Dutch master of fantasy and symbolism was a fascinating figure and an eminently compatible addition to his artistic pantheon. Alexis was enthralled…”¹

The Garden of Earthly Delights is the modern title given to a triptych of oil paintings by the early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, painted between 1490 and 1510. This very large work, 220 by 390cm, is Bosch’s most famous and is rendered in incredible detail and incandescent colours, something that has also become synonymous with Preller’s oeuvre. Three paintings by Preller, evocative of the oval procession of riders in the upper third of the central Bosch panel, have come up for auction with Strauss & Co, two small scale paintings, Horseman and Boy on a Horse, both painted in 1950.

^1. Esmé Berman and Karel Nel (2009) Alexis Preller, Africa, the Sun and Shadow, Johannesburg: Shelf Publishing, page 105.

Provenance

Ashbey's, Cape Town, date unknown, lot 14.

Strydom Art Gallery, George.

Dr Matthys Johannes Strydom Family Collection.

Literature

Matthys Strydom (2021) Nog Stories Teen My Muur, George: LW Hiemstra Trust, illustrated in colour on page 99.