Perspectives on Africa

Live Virtual Auction, 17 February 2025

Perspectives on Africa
About the Session

Strauss & Co is pleased to present Perspectives on Africa, a sale that explores the complexity, beauty, and fluidity of perspectives through African art and works by artists with strong ties to the continent. The sale coalesces the rich and varied connections between Africa and its artistic expressions, presenting works that span figuration, landscape, and abstraction, inviting collectors to engage with powerful narratives emerging from Africa's evolving perspectives. The works reflect layered meanings, both as a method  of representing depth and dimension as a way of framing our understanding of the world. Work by Contemporary artists reflects on the historical foundations of Modernist artists, exploring themes such as identity, belonging, urbanisation, and re-encounters with tradition, while the sale transitions to Modernist interpretations of Africa, exploring the complexity of colonial encounters, post-independence aspirations, and indigenous practices. Building on Strauss & Co’s commitment to developing a strong local photography market, the sale includes an artist focus on the work of social documentarian Paul Alberts, whose images captured poignant narratives of everyday life, particularly in Cape Town. These works sit alongside David Goldblatt and Zanele Muholi, whose visceral images explore themes of identity, social justice and the multifaceted realities of African life.


Current Bid

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Lot 170
  • Brett Charles Seiler; Timber
  • Brett Charles Seiler; Timber
  • Brett Charles Seiler; Timber


Lot Estimate
ZAR 200 000 - 300 000
Current Bid
Starting at ZAR 160 000
Location
Cape Town
Shipping
Condition Report
May include additional detailed images
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About this Item

Zimbabwean 1994-
Timber

signed, dated 2021 and inscribed with the title on the stretcher

bitumen and roof paint on canvas
241 by 180cm excluding frame; 243 by 182 by 4,5cm including frame

Provenance

Everard Read, Cape Town.

Private Collection.

Exhibited

Everard Read, Cape Town, Timber, 24 February to 20 March 2021.

Notes

"‘Timber!’ is the call that echoes through the forest when a tree is going to fall after being cut. It is also the wood used to build houses."1

The present lot, which lent its title to Brett Seiler's 2021 solo exhibition at Everard Read, explores the term 'timber,' which the artist uses to examine masculinity, home, and loss. Since 2019, his paintings have often featured groups of men in minimally detailed interiors, engaged in personal moments. This lot exemplifies his ability to transform memories into poignant visual diaries of queer existence.

The works within the exhibition are autobiographical, depicting intimate moments and memories, created using materials like roof paint, wood scraps, and bitumen. These materials not only shape the forms in his works but also construct a 'home' for the subject matter, blending personal narrative with a politically defiant edge.

1Everard Read (n. d.) Brett Charles Seiler: Timber, online, https://www.everard-read-capetown.co.za/exhibition/234/press_release/, accessed 26 January 2025.

View all Brett Charles Seiler lots for sale in this auction