Strauss & co - 7 November 2016, Johannesburg

162 226 Irma STERN south african 1894–1966 Woman with Blue Headscarf signed and dated 1956 oil on canvas 62 by 49,5 cm R2 000 000 – 3 000 000 provenance The Collection of the Late Mrs Liselotte Hardebeck. Purchased by the late owners from Gainsborough Galleries, 1956. exhibited Gainsborough Galleries, Johannesburg, Irma Stern , 25 September 1956 – 8 October 1956. Irma Stern’s South African modernism combined elements of German Expressionism and Fauvism. Her portraits often played on the intrigue and exoticism of her sitters, but the artist never compromised on likeness or individual personality. The symbolic headscarf worn in the present lot might hint at the sitter’s religion or background, but her unruffled, intimate gaze is as particular as it is unforgettable.