Strauss & co - Wits Art Museum

34 WITS ARTS MUSEUM ENDOWMENT AUCTION 22 Deborah Bell (b.1957) Grace Mixed media on paper 178 x 140 cm 2007 Donated by the artist R80 000 – 120 000 Deborah Bell, a leading South African artist, was born in Johannesburg. Bell’s oeuvre is marked by her long- standing career, her collaborations with contemporaries such as William Kentridge and Robert Hodgins, and her willingness to expertly move between a range of media. Grace, together with its counterpart Beauty, is one of a pair of works that were inspired at a time when Bell had many encounters with snakes. The works are based on a vivid dream that the artist recalls, where she had to cross an abyss via a precarious, writhing, snake-like rope bridge. Far below her were two enormous and exceptionally beautiful snakes/ pythons, slowly slithering over one another. The presence of the drawing assisted her in navigating the danger. Grace took a long time to complete, with Bell working on it sporadically. When the painting was nearly finished, Bell encountered a puff adder in her garden, confirming the personal significance of this work for her.  LdB