2021 Norval Foundation Benefit Auction

Live Virtual Auction, 9 December 2021

Session 1

Sold for

ZAR 91 040
Lot 6
  • Brett Murray; Until the Second Coming
  • Brett Murray; Until the Second Coming


Lot Estimate
ZAR 50 000 - 70 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 91 040

About this Item

South African 1961-
Until the Second Coming

inscribed with the edition 16/25 on the reverse

polished bronze
height: 40cm; width: 38cm; depth: 21cm

Notes

Brett Murray's work often makes use of animals as analogies or metaphors, in a stylised aesthetic which brings to mind children’s fables. His most well-known use of the bull is his monumental work, Again Again (2016), in which the repetition of the figures is intended to symbolise the repetition and immovability of corruption. In Until The Second Coming, the reclining bull with its golden, reflective surface, evokes the story of the Golden Calf. Along with the title, the work refers to former president Jacob Zuma’s assertion that the ANC would rule until Jesus’ return, equating the party's leadership to divine rule. In response, the work depicts the organisation and its leader as false idols. This reading is emphasised by the bull's crucifix-like pose, undercut by its overfed potbelly which - along with the shiny, gold surface - speaks to what Murray perceives as the government’s self-indulgent excesses.

Provenance

Kindly donated by Everard Read, Cape Town, Franschhoek, Johannesburg, London.

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