Strauss & co - 19 November 2015, Johannesburg

EDUCATION ENDOWMENT AUCTION 58 100 BASIL LOUIS JONES SOUTH AFRICAN 1917– Karoo Twilight signed, dated 2015, numbered 2/10, inscribed with the title in pencil and embossed with the Artist Proof Studio chop mark in the margin linocut and chine-collé sheet size: 195 by 108 cm; image size: 181 by 94 cm R15 000 – 20 000 Basil Jones is co-founder and Executive Producer of Handspring Puppet Company. Jones completed his BFA at UCT where he met future life-partner, Adrian Kohler. In 1990, Jones and Kohler set up a not for profit NGO called Handspring Trust, which produced the award winning Spider’s Place, a multi-media education series aimed at young learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. They set up the Handspring Awards for Puppetry, which recognises puppet design, direction and performance in South Africa. The Handspring Trust is involved in various projects in urban township and rural areas, using puppetry to educate and empower youth and bring communities together through parades and performances. Jones has developed a range of screenprint and mixed-media prints at Artist Proof Studio derived from technical drawings of the puppets from the War Horse. Partial sales from the print collaborations support the development of a stadium in Barrydale in the Karoo, which was built through the Handspring Puppet Trust. Access to the creative arts is not a privilege. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be captivated, have their imaginations opened and their thinking freed through the power of the arts to make a positive difference in our country. RMB celebrates and rewards exceptional talent, believing that corporate showcasing of creative excellence is a way to increase public awareness and pride in SA’s arts, culture and heritage. RMB respects Handspring Puppet Company as an extraordinary, innovative example of global best practice in the arts – from its ability to engage with our humanity, to its measurable economic impact.