Strauss & co - 17 February 2018, Cape Town

The hubbub of a working harbour provided the backdrop for Strauss & Co’s inaugural contemporary art sale, the first such specialist auction in South Africa to focus exclusively on this burgeoning category of art. Held on 17 February 2018 in a stylishly transformed warehouse adjacent to Duncan Dock in the Port of Cape Town, the hour- long sale comprised 71 lots representing three generations of contemporary artists and generated total sales of R13.551 million, with a sell-through rate of 80%. The successful sale affirmed the reputation at auction of senior contemporary artists like Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge, Karel Nel and Penny Siopis, but also – and importantly in the context of this new sale – uncovered collector appetite for works by a younger generation of artists, notably painters. This enthusiasmwas registered early on when rival bidders competed for Lisa Brice’s gesso work depicting lovers kissing, Untitled (2006). This formative work was knocked down for R250 096,more than doubling the high estimate, and set a world record for Brice. Other world records were achieved for Diane Victor, whose drawing Indemnities for Late Believers sold for R284 200 and Georgina Gratrix, whose Kiss,Kiss (2013) fetched R318 304,more than doubling the high estimate. In the lead-up to knocking down Gratrix’s work, auctioneer Bina Genovese remarked on the background clangour of the harbour: “I am sorry about the noise, but we are after all in the docks.” This much-anticipated specialist sale coincided with the auspicious arrival of the RMS St Helena, one of only four surviving Royal Mail Ships in the world. The ship had received a celebratory send-off when it departed from the South Atlantic Ocean island of St Helena earlier in February on its final working voyage to Cape Town, having served the island for 27 years. Fittingly, Cape Town painter Jake Aikman’s Adrift II (2014), a hypnotic canvas with a marine theme, drew intense bidding. At one point seven telephone bidders vied for the work, which was eventually secured by a commission bidder for R250 096, trebling the high estimate and setting a new world record for Aikman. Contemporary art has been an integral part of Strauss & Co’s sale offering since its first ever auction, held in March 2009 at the Johannesburg Country Club, and included lots by Robert Hodgins andWilliam Kentridge,as well as Deborah Bell and Norman Catherine. Strauss & Co’s specialist contemporary art auction set benchmark prices for collectors Lisa Brice, Untitled Sold R250 096 Georgina Gratrix, Kiss Kiss Sold R318 304