Strauss & co - 5 June 2017, Johannesburg

117 162 William Kentridge & Gerhard Marx SOUTH AFRICAN 20TH CENTURY Fire Walker artist’s book in a slip case embedded in a wooden box, with laser cut steel Fire Walker figure by Kentridge on the lid, accompanied by linocut and chine collé print by Kentridge and a digital print Foot Map, by Marx book and both prints signed; wooden box and both prints numbered 6/40 wooden box: 45,5 by 31,5 by 4,5 cm R50 000 – 70 000 In 2009, William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx were commissioned to make a public sculpture for the City of Johannesburg. The sculpture is based on a drawing by Kentridge of a woman street vendor – fire walker – carrying a burning brazier on her head. The book began as a project to document the making of the collaborative sculpture and evolved into conversations asking critical questions about public spaces in Johannesburg. The making and collecting of art books came under the spotlight at the recent colloquium, Booknesses: Book Art Colloquium held at the University of Johannesburg. A highlight was a public conversation betweenWilliam Kentridge and Jack Ginsberg, the internationally renowned art and book collector. In this discussion Ginsberg made specific reference to the high level of art making involved in this deluxe limited-edition book with a signed and numbered print from both artists presented in a beautifully constructed wooden box with a steel cutout of a Fire Walker inserted into a wooden cut-out on the lid.