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Artists’Acrylic Retarder

ZELLEN ART PRODUCTS

PROFESSIONAL

IFYOURACRYLIC PAINT IS DRYINGTOO QUICKLY,ACRYLIC RETARDER IS THEANSWER.MADE IN SOUTH AFRICAFOR INFORMATION ON OUR OTHER PRODUCTSPHONE +27 28 271 3122.

THIS MEDIUM CAN BE MIXED WITH ACRYLIC COLOURS.THIS GIVES MORE BLENDING TIME ON THE CANVAS AND SLOWER DRYING ON THE PALLETE.

Published monthly by Global Art Information PO Box 15881 Vlaeberg, 8018 Tel. 021 424 7733 Fax. 021 424 7732

Editor: Gabriel Clark-Brown

editor@arttimes.co.za

Advertising: Eugene Fisher

sales@arttimes.co.za

Subscriptions: Bastienne Klein

subs@arttimes.co.za News: press@arttimes.co.za Shows: show@arttimes.co.za Artwork: art@arttimes.co.zaDeadline for news, articles and advertising is the 20th of each month. The Art Times is published in the last week of each month.Newspaper rights: The newspaper reserves the right to reject any material that could be

found offensive by its readers. Opinions and views expressed in the SA Art Times do not necessarily represent the ofcial viewpoint of the editor, staff or publisher, while inclusion of advertising features does not imply the newspaper’s endorsement of any business, product or service. Copyright of

the enclosed material in this publication is reserved.

Melvyn Minnaar While the invitation to South Africa

by the ofcial organisers to ‘of

cially’ take part in this month’s 53rd

Venice Biennale in Italy seems tohave gone unanswered or got lost

in the muddle that is the ofcial de

-partment of arts and culture, threetop artists are very prominent on

the Campo Santa Maria Formosa

as the crowds pour in.This is all due to enterprisingBaylon Sandri of Stellenbosch and

his Smac gallery’s good strandingwith the inuential curator Vincenzo

Sanfo. Sanfo has put together what sounds like an eye-catchingexhibition I Linguaggi del Mondo:Languages of the World.Wayne Barker, Kay Hassan andJohann Louw has been included inthis group exhibition which tracesdifference of language as a univer-sal metaphor, according to Sanfo.

Also on show is art by China’s Liu

Zhong, Jonathan Guaitamacchiand Marco Nereo Rotelli from Italy,as well as a examples of work byRapa Nui artists from the Easter Islands.It is housed in the beautiful old Pal-

azzo Querini Stampalia in Venice’s

Dorsoduro.In the accompanying exhibitiondocument, prepared by Smac

gallery, the ofcial attitude of the

South African department of art andculture is given a good smack:“A major debate on the state of art in South Africa surrounds the

government’s refusal to support

participation in major internationalart events. Since 1950, South Africawas regularly represented at theVenice Biennale until the Inter-

national Cultural Boycott isolated

South African artists for 25 years.The advent of the new South Africa

saw the country’s re-emergence to

the global art arena with an invita-tion in 1993 to participate in the45th Venice Biennale. Since 1995South Africa has been absent. It isanomalous that a country which ispart of the G20, hosting the 2010

Soccer World Cup and stands as

the undisputed economic power-house on the continent, ignores theplight of its artists for representationand rejects the international artcommunity.“This may well explain why some of

the South Africa’s most well-known

artists such as Marlene Dumas,Robin Rhode, Moshekwa Langaand Kendell Geers have chosen tolive and work abroad.“Bringing these three establishedSouth African artists and their workto a prestigious international exhibi-tion in Venice, coinciding with theBiennale is an attempt to break thepervading silence that surroundslocal art expressions within theinternational domain and draw at-tention to the plight of South Africancontemporary art.”Motivating the choice of the threeartists, Sandri says as eachrepresent a descendant of one of

the ofcial languages, and because

art as visual language is used togive voice to current thought andimagination, cultural expectationsand concerns as well as socio-po-litical issues, Hassan (Zulu), Louw(Afrikaans) and Wayne Barker (English) were chosen for their distinctive visual articulations.

(See page 9 for artist’s images)

THE SOUTH AFRICAN

ART

TIMES

Issue : June 2009 Full free edition available atwww.arttimes.co.za

1 Year’s subscription R 180

E-mail subs@arttimes for details

SMAC Gallery sends 3 artists to the prestigious 53rd Venice Biennale

Mikhael Subotzky:

Street Party, Saxonwold

, 2008. Courtesy of the Goodman Gallery. Part of the

Nation State

Exhibition at Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg. Show ends June 28. See www.goodman-gallery.com for details.

A Cape Yellowwood and Stinkwood Gate-leg Table,18th Century

SOLD R44 800

“Voyagien na Oost en West-Indien”by Johan Lodewijk Gottfried

SOLD R224 000

A Gentleman’s Fine 18ct White GoldWristwatch, Patek Philippe

SOLD R224 000

A late Victorian Hinged Bangle

SOLD R13 440

A Handful of Highlightsfrom our 2009 Summer & Autumn Auctions

We are currently accepting consignments for our upcoming auctions in Cape Town and Johannesburg.If you have paintings, furniture, silver, jewellery, ceramics or stamps please contact us for an obligation-free appraisal.

CAPE TOWN

Auction: 20 & 21 OctoberClosing date for entries: 31 July 2009Call now for an appointment: 021 794 6461 Venue: The Great Cellar, Alphen Hotel, Alphen Drive, Constantia

JOHANNESBURG

Auction: 17 & 18 NovemberClosing date for entries: 4 September 2009Call now for an appointment: 011 880 3125 Venue: 13 Biermann Avenue, Rosebank

A CapeNeo-Classical Stinkwood, Teakand FruitwoodRusbank, Early 19th Century

SOLD R61 600

Cecil Edwin Frans Skotnes (South African 1926-2009)

BIRDS

SOLD R616 000

Erik Laubscher (South African 1927-)

STILL LIFE WITH MANDOLIN, MUSIC SCOREAND FRUIT

SOLD R1 120 000

Four Victorian Silver Candlesticks, William Hutton & Sons Ltdand Robert & William Sorley, London, 1900

SOLD R31 360

A Rorke’s Drift Stoneware Vaseby Nestah Molefe, 1975

SOLD R39 200

Cathcart William Methven (South African 1849-1925)

POOL ON THE TUGELA RIVER, NATAL NATIONAL PARK,DRAKENSBERG

SOLD R201 600

A Chinese Baluster Jar and CoverQing Dynasty, 1644-1911

SOLD R24 640

Rhodesia 1910/13 Double Heads(perf 14) £1 scarlet & reddish mauveerror of colour fine mint (SG 166b)

SOLD R87 750

Visit our website www.swelco.co.za

All prices quoted include buyer’s premium

KUNSGALERY

CAPE TOWN

JOHANS BORMAN

FINE ART GALLERY

A showcase for the best of South African Masters,as well as some leading contemporary artists.Telephone: 021 423 6075www.johansborman.co.zaMon-Fri: 09h30 - 17h30Sat: 10h00 - 13h00or by appointmentIn Fin Art BuildingUpper Buitengracht Street, Cape Town 8001Cell: 082 566 4631E-mail: art@johansborman.co.za

Gerard Sekoto, ‘Mother and child’ – 1963

South African Art Times. June 2009 Page 3

retchikoff ‘not an original’Kebble’s Tretchikoff probed

First published by Sapa & News 24Johannesburg - The controversialLost Orchid painting sold at slain

mining magnate Brett Kebble’s art

auction is original - for now, theauctioneer said on Tuesday.Graham Britz, who handled therecord R2.9m sale of the Vladimir retchikoff work, said the investiga-ion into its authenticity had not yet

been nalised.

However, so far forensic testsproved it was an original, Britz said.“That is correct, a technical analysis

shows it’s an original,” he said

without giving more details.Art academics, including Professor Alex Duffey of the University of Pre-oria, were still busy with “archival”

research on the painting’s lineage,

Britz told Sapa. “Once we have all

he facts we will present an ofcial

press release,” said Britz.

Tretchikoff’s granddaughter

he sale of the Lost Orchid earlier his month was set aside last weekpending an investigation into itsauthenticity. The biggest auctionof South African art to date sawseveral record sales, including that

of Tretchikoff’s Lost Orchid, which

went for R2.9m - excluding the

seller’s premium and Value Added

Tax.But a few days later, Beeld newspa-per reported there were differences

between Kebble’s Lost Orchid

and a picture of the painting thatappeared in a book by Howard Tim-

mins on Tretchikoff’s work in 1969.

On Tuesday, Beeld quoted

Tretchikoff’s granddaughter as

saying there was no chance he hadpainted the Lost Orchid sold at theKebble auction.“There is no doubt in my mind. TheLost Orchid that was sold at theKebble auction for nearly R3m, hadnever been painted by my grandfa-ther,” said Natasha Mercorio, whohad done “intensive research” on

her grandfather’s work, according

to Beeld.“I can tell you unequivocally, that is

not my grandfather’s signature on

the painting,” she added.

The 56.5cm x 54.8cm painting is re

-garded as one of the most famousworks by the Russian-born artist

who died in Cape Town in 2006.But, the work depicted in Timmins’

book differs markedly in places tothe work sold at the auction of Keb-

ble’s art assets.The image in Timmins’ book has a

burnt match on the step, while it ismissing in the Kebble work. A drop on the orchid in the Timminswork lies in the centre of the or-

chid’s petal, whereas in the Kebble

work, it hangs off the petal.On closer inspection, smaller differences in detail become ap-parent. Britz has also pointed outthat Tretchikoff was a “master of reproduction”. However, his grand-daughter does not seem to agree.Stick to the facts“I know for a fact that my grandfa-ther never painted a painting andthen later made an exact versionof the painting. He just did not dothat. However, he did use elementsof one painting in another,” saidMercorio.

The origin of Kebble’s Lost Orchid

remains vague.Beeld said Kebble bought it for R12 000 at an auction handled byWestgate Walding in Sandton in2003. “Any person with a shred of knowledge would have known therewas something seriously wrong withthat painting,” art expert StephanWelz told Beeld.But Westgate Walding direc-

tor Christopher Martin told the

Afrikaans daily the auctioneer knewat that stage Tretchikoff had paintedmore than one version of the LostOrchid.Britz also said he believedTretchikoff did many versions of the“iconic” work. Asked to comment

on the granddaughter’s state

-ments, Britz said she was not anacademic. “Do you want to believethe granddaughter as opposed toa professor who specialises in art?

I like to stick to the facts, I can’t

listen to a granddaughter who justwants some recognition. “She justhappens to be a descendent of thelate Vladimir Tretchikoff. She is not

even a rst line descendent, she

is a second line descendent. Shewas probably a baby when thesethings happened. “People are tryingto make something out of nothing,”said Britz.- SAPA

Lost Orchid original - for now