South African Art Times April 09

THE SOUTH AFRICAN

April 2009 • www.arttimes.co.za • Subscription 180 p.a • Print & Distribution. 9 000 copies. • Includes The Business Art Supplement

ART

TIMES

Nandipha Mntambo,

Praça de Touros I

, 2008 (Detail, see overleaf for full image) Courtesy of Michael Stevenson

Johannesburg

13 Biermann Avenue, corner Oxford Road, RosebankTelephone 011 880 3125 Facsimile 011 880 2656 jhb@swelco.co.za www.swelco.co.za

AUCTION DATES: 20 & 21 APRIL 2009VIEWING DATES: 17, 18 & 19 APRIL 2009

Announcing our Autumn Auction of

Fine & Decorative Arts,

Furniture, Silver, Ceramics & Jewellery

Two days, ﬁve sessions, 900 lots

Lot 225 Irma Stern (South African 1894-1966)

PORTRAIT OF A GIRL IN A RED FROCK

(recto)

; SAMUEL STERN

(verso)

56 by 47cm

Estimate: R800 000 - R1 200 000

Stephan Welz & Company,inassociation with Sotheby’s,hasannounced their autumn auction of Fine & Decorative Arts,Furniture,Silver,Ceramics,Books &Jewellery.This Johannesburgauction of900 lots will be held inthe company’s Biermann Avenue,Rosebank sale rooms on 20 & 21 April 2009.The sale is of remarkably broad appeal,thoughthe spread ofhighly prizedpaintings by South African artists issure to dominate the sale.One ofthe most unique offeringsfrom the company’s paintingsdepartment is the Irma Stern(Lot 225) which comprises thehauntingly beautiful ‘Portrait of a girl in a Red Frock’(recto) andthe sombre ‘Samuel Stern’(verso).he latter is the only known portraitofStern’s father and the paintingis illustrated on page 12 ofMarion Arnold’s work ‘Irma Stern;A Feastfor the Eye’.This work waspresented by the artist to her cousinand thence by descent.It is conser-vatively estimated at R800 000 –R1 200 000.Ofequal significance in a historicalsense is the sale’s ‘cover lot’,thedramatic pastel and charcoal workwhich draws on William JosephKentridge’s earlier bitingly satiricalwork ofthe mid-1980s featuring adancing couple under the oppres-sive structures ofindustrialisationand apartheid.‘The Highveld StyleMasked Ball’(Lot 329) is signedand dated ’88,sized 95.5 x 70cmand estimated at R500 000 –R700 000.From a remarkable array of traditional South African artiststhere are significant works fromKrige,Sumner,Battiss,Boshoff,Koenakeefe-Mohl,Boonzaier,Bhengu and Pemba and others,like Pieter Wenning.The latter’s‘A Cape Homestead’demonstratesthe vitality ofWenning’s brushworkwith which he imbued scenes of the Cape.This painting is Lot 224,estimated at R500 000 – R800 000.Lot 218,‘Landscape with DistantHouses’by Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (R400 000 – R600 000) is notablefor Pierneef’s brave impressionismlending it almost infinite depth.The furniture on offer brings to themarket extremely sought-after examples ofCape craftsmanship inyellowwood and stinkwood.Of particular note are Lots 580 and585,the former being a generouslyproportioned gate-leg table datingfrom the 18th century andestimated at R40 000 – R60 000.Lot 585 is a beautiful cupboardfrom the 19th century at R30 000 –R50 000.Other furniture itemsofnote include a late 19th/early20th century carved mahoganyserving table with six fluted legsand carved ramshead details(Lot 546,R60 000 – R80 000).Mirroring the trend evidenced inprevious auctions by the companyin both Cape Town andJohannesburg,the selection of quality silver is certain to attractenthusiastic bidding.Lot 612 is apair of20th century French silver tureens (950 standard) from Henin& Cie,estimated at R8 000 –R12 000.Also vying for attentionare Lot 662,a George lll silver coffee pot by William & JamesPriest,London 1766 (R14 000 –R18 000) and Lot 677,anEdwardian silver revolving topbreakfast dish from 1908 (R8 000 –R12 000).The company’s jewellerydepartment has again turned ina sparkling performance.Withover 200 lots,highlights abound,including Lot 709,a solitairediamond ring of5,0330ctsestimated at R70 000 – R90 000,Lot 714,a magnificent lateVictorian hinged 15ct gold bangle(R7 000 – R9 000) and Lots 824and 825,respectively a Bulgaricased Cicladi diamond pendant ona chain (R10 000 – R15 000) and aBulgari cased Lucea diamond ring(R12 000 – R15 000).Two lots from two differentdepartments give further weight tothis sale’s unusually broad appeal.There are two cannons on offer,oneofthem,Lot 447,being an early18th century Finbanker 4-pounder on a twin-tailed carriage,estimatedat R80 000 – R100 000. As a final example ofthis sale’sappeal,Lot 507 is a gentleman’sfine 18ct white gold automaticwristwatch by Patek Philippe.It is certificated (ref5036),comes with a bound pouch,and isfrom the short production run of annual calendar wristwatches madewith moon phases.Its estimate isR160 000 – R180 000.A similar model recently realised almostdouble that in New York!

Enquiries:

jhb@swelco.co.za+ 27 11880 3125

Auction:

Monday 20 April 14h00 and 19h00Tuesday 21 April 10h00,14h00and 18h30

Venue:

13 Biermann Avenue,Rosebank,Johannesburg

Viewing:

Friday 17 April10h00 – 17h00Saturday 18 April10h00 – 13h00Sunday 19 April10h00 – 13h00& 14h00 to 17h00

Traditional South African art set to dominateJohannesburg April Auction

Lot 84,6 volumes of‘Voyagienna Oost en West-Indien’ R200 000 – R210 000

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FOR INFOMATION ON OUR OTHER PRODUCTSPHONE +27 28 271 3122.

WILL VARY SLIGHTLY DUE TOTRANSPORT COSTS

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN

ART

TIMES

Alex DoddThe summer is nearly over, buttemperatures are close to sizzlingon the Joburg art scene in the runup to the second FNB Joburg ArtFair, three solid days and nights of visually driven mingling, oogling,assessment and acquisition, thatkicks off on Friday (3 April) at theSandton Convention Centre.Despite reports of a falteringinternational art market, FNB hasrenewed its commitment to thecontemporary art scene in Africa,and 26 galleries have signed upto be part of what promises tobe a blockbuster showcase of contemporary visual culture. FNB’sbacking makes a sweet kind of

sense when you gure that the

bank’s head of sponsorship is noneother than Francois Pienaar. Yes,the very same Francois Pienaar that captained the Springboksin their moment of transcendentWorld Cup glory back in 1995, andwho is now being played by MattDamon starring opposite MorganFreeman (as Nelson Mandela) in

the Warner Brothers lm based on

the John Carlin book Playing theEnemy: Nelson Mandela and theGame That Made a Nation.I take succour in the idea that it’sthe same dude that helped to bringthis nation together through theuniversal language of sport in ’95that is now, at an equally tumultu-ous time in this country’s history,helping to keep us together throughthe medium of art. Art doesn’t yethave the pulling power of rugby, butI bet that most of those involved inthe arts in this country will testify tothe bolstering power of creativityin the face of the political cynicismand mean-spiritedness that seems

to be engulng South Africa right

now. Personally, I might alreadyhave chosen to live elsewhere if itweren’t for the wild inventiveness of this country’s artists and writers. Itmight be some time (think Salvador Dali’s dripping clocks) before wesee an art event receive the sametumultuous support as a game atLoftus Versfeld, but I know that Iam not alone in believing that thecreative force of this country iseven more powerful than a Spring-bok scrum in lockdown against the All Blacks.Yet, earlier this year, one or twogallerists did express some anxi-ety at the Fair’s capacity to pull a

signicant audience of international

buyers and art industry players.Luckily, those concerns wererecently allayed with the advent of a watershed collaboration betweenthe Joburg Art Fair and Puma.Creative, a platform that connectsthe creative world globally. Thepartnership with the ultra-hip globalstreetwear brand was forged bynone other than Mark Coetzee.Yes, the very same Mark Coetzeewho used to run the Mark CoetzeeFine Art Cabinet in Cape Town inthe late Nineties. After eight yearsdirecting the ultra-prestigiousRubell Family Collection in Miami,Coetzee is now chief curator of Puma.

(Continued on page 4)

SA Art braces itself for Joburg Art Fair

April 2009 • 9 000 copies printed and distributed. Full version also available at www.arttimes.co.za • RSA value R 40.00

After eight years of directing the ultra-prestigious Rubell FamilyCollection in Miami, Mark Coetzee is now chief curator of Puma.Creative