Strauss & Co April Auctions Offer Historically Important African Works

·       April online sales lead with special section relating to landmark London African Art exhibition

·       April ‘Art Club’ brings unique introduction to collecting by Strauss & Co specialists 

·       Affordable collecting highlights the 500-plus lots of modern and contemporary art 

London Revisited (2 April – 21 April) is a single-owner collection comprised of works exhibited in Contemporary African Art, a benchmark art event held at the Camden Art Centre in London from 10 August to 8 September 1969. Curated by Jacqueline Delange and Philip Fry, the show was one of the first in England to focus on modern African artists. It aimed to disrupt limiting notions of African art and encourage a reflection on how art from the continent has influenced Western artists and institutions. It showcased works in diverse media by notable African artists such as Ibrahim El Salahi, Gerard Sekoto, Sydney Kumalo, Vincent Kofi, Uzo Egonu, Prince Twins Seven-Seven, and Muraina Oyelami. This single-owner collection offers works by prominent artists who trained at the Rorke’s Drift Art and Crafts Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as some leading Nigerian modernists who were part of the influential Mbari Artists and Writers Club and Oshogbo Art School.

The sale includes linocuts, silkscreens, tempera paintings and a multimedia collage rendered in the bold, figurative style that African Modernism is known for. There is a strong throughline of storytelling across the works, from Azaria Mbatha and John Muafengejo’s biblical scenes to Prince Twins Seven-Seven’s etchings that recall Yoruba folklore and mythology. Together, the groundbreaking Camden show and this single-owner collection link many South African modernist works to wider African art currents in the mid-20^th Century.

The April ART timed online auction (2 April – 20 April) is organised by medium – painting, works on paper, prints and multiples, sculpture, and a small but choice offering of art books. The sale offers a gamut of amazing work by predominantly South African artists from the modern (early to mid-20^th century) period, as well as highly prized contemporary artists.  April ART is marked by its affordability, offering emerging and newer collectors the chance not only to acquire works on paper and prints by the established likes of Cecil Skotnes, William Kentridge, Norman Catherine and Sam Nhlengethwa, but also to branch out further afield in collectable South African artwork.

The cover lot is a work by Cecily Sash, a painter who worked in different mediums and spent two formative decades teaching at Wits. Her work, especially her painting, is highly collectable, with a buoyant auction market. The prolific Walter Battiss has a book of his famous quasi-surrealist Fook Island postage stamps on offer, for the adventurous and discerning collector. Other highlights include a fine Maggie Laubser portrait, an artist who is overdue for a reconsideration by the market.

Standout works include one of the doyennes of the contemporary South African art scene, Dr Esther Mahlangu, as well as a lovely and affordable piece by consistently underrated painter and draughtsman Ephraim Ngatane. Adding to these gems by highly collectable black artists on the sale are contemporary works by artists Blessing Ngobeni and Thonton Kabeya. Those searching for more established but still accessible works for their collections can look out for a couple of Diane Victor works. She currently has a solo exhibition in Paris.

The April Art Club takes place in Johannesburg on the 14^th of April at 6pm. Strauss & Co specialists will deep dive into a selection of highlights featured on the April ART online auction as well as share insights into the special focus sale London Revisited. 

Elsewhere in the cornucopia of delights on offer through April is the sale Esme’ Berman: Art Book Collection (8 April – 22 April), which presents the book collection of the celebrated and respected art historian and collector. Alongside Karel Nel, Berman co-authored the definitive volume on Alexis Preller, which is full of judiciously chosen and enlightening art historical and related volumes.

Browse, register and bid – www.straussart.co.za.