Strauss & co - 8 - 11 November 2020

136 When Giulio Bertrand first saw Morgenster he said it was love at first sight. He announced, “I have never felt so attracted to a place like I was with Morgenster”. He had been searching for a house in the Cape Dutch style to which he could retire but, given his unique flair and passion, the last three decades of his life were anything but sedate. Bertrand, on behalf of the owners, Tasso Foundation, embarked on the ambitious transformation of Morgenster’s agricultural production as well as the restoration of its historic buildings. Established in 1711 from a section of the farm that originally constituted Vergelegen Estate, Morgenster’s first owner, Jacques Malan, was a French Huguenot whose family traced their ancestry back to the north-western Italian valleys of Piedmont. Born in Biella, an important wool processing and textile centre in North West Piedmont in Italy, Bertrand joined the family-run textile business, supplying yarns and fabrics. Its operations included two factories located in the Eastern Cape. His links with South Africa strengthened from 1975 when he began coming to this country four times a year to oversee his factories here. So began his longstanding love affair with South Africa. On moving to Morgenster in 1992 Bertrand and the new owners’ first priority was to preserve the beautiful historic buildings and restore the manor house. They then went on to reinvigorate the farm’s rich winemaking traditions as well as introduce olive cultivation, a complimentary activity to winemaking in Italy that was unheard of at the time in South Africa. Bertrand’s desire was to produce world class Bordeaux-styled wine and the highest quality olive oil and he The Tasso Foundation Collection of Important South African Art, assembled by the Late Giulio Bertrand of Morgenster GIULIO BERTRAND (1927-2018) “Where there is passion there is no compromise’’, became legendary as a champion olive-oil maker and discriminating wine producer. He imported the world’s most up-to-date olive tree cultivars which are propagated in the Morgenster nursery and sold to other farms to advance the local olive industry. Morgenster’s olive oil was judged the best in the world in 2006 and the estate continues to garner coveted local and international awards. Having completed the restoration of the manor house he embarked on a new project, which was to grace the walls of Morgenster with the finest examples of South African art, assembled for and on behalf of the Tasso Foundation. The 75 lots consigned herein tell the story of South African art and artists from the period of union to liberation. In line with his motto “Where there is passion there is no compromise’’, Bertrand carefully selected only the best, and these artworks were to give him endless pleasure for the rest of his life. “Building an art collection is about enthusiasm, research and long-term commitment”, says Bina Genovese, who, along with other colleagues, knew Bertrand personally. “From the time he started acquiring works for the collection in the late 1990s, Giulio Bertrand was a regular attendee of art auctions. He not only partook in the bonhomie but also sought the counsel of others with insight to guide his acquisitions. Over time he built up a remarkable collection of historical works, which he later – without hesitation – complemented with works by leading contemporary artists”. With the advice and guidance of the late Stephan Welz, he went on to assemble the Tasso Foundation Collection, now being offered for sale with Strauss & Co.