Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Fine Art PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Bonhams South African Art Sale

A stunning collection of Southern Africa’s varied landscapes and peoples glow in Bonhams autumn sale of South African Art on October 14.

Landscapes by Jacob Pierneef, Maggie Laubser, Irma Stern, Hugo Naude, Frans Oerder,Gregoire Boonzaier and John Meyer among others, offer visitors to Bonhams in New Bond Street a privileged view of this vast and beautiful country by artists who were passionate about capturing its views and moods.

Alexis PrellerGiles Peppiatt, head of South African Art at Bonhams says of this, his latest sale: “I was a latecomer to South Africa, but in the last five years visits to the country has cast its spell on me and in this sale we have images that capture the sheer grandeur of the country. The level of art on display is some of the best that I have seen.”

Prices start from £200,000 (R2,384,000) for a Pierneef, ‘Hartebeespoortdam’ painted in 1923, a commission done for property developer, Johan Schoeman, who wanted to use it to sell land west of Pretoria. At the other end of the cost spectrum there are also pictures and sculpture for a more modest figures around the £2,000 mark.

The human tribes that inhabit this country of 11 official languages are also well represented in this sale with magnificent portraits by Gerard Sekoto, Alexis Preller and Irma Stern.

The presence of recent history is never very far away in South African art and an image by Gerard Sekoto, ‘Recollections of Sharpville’ echoes a powerful bleak photograph in the sale showing the serried graves of a Sharpville funeral.

The sale includes a no fewer than nine very strong paintings by Alexis Preller which coincides with the first book about the artist published in 60 years. It is written by leading South African art specialist Esme Berman and is a lavishly illustrated and beautifully presented work, essential reading for any lover of South African art.

www.bonhams.com/southafrica