Strauss & co - 2013 Review

moment for contemporary art in South Africa. Untitled is the companion piece to Alexander’s seminal Butcher Boys , widely considered the most popular acquisition in the Iziko South African National Gallery’s (SANG) collection in Cape Town. Stephan Welz, noted: “From the moment Untitled came through our doors, we knew it was going to generate tremendous interest. Works by Jane Alexander rarely appear at auction and it was a great privilege for Strauss & Co to handle a piece of such great quality and historical significance.” Two interesting highlights this year: • The Last Supper , by Cecil Skotnes, sold for R1 818 880 to a private collector who plans to make the work available to a public institution. The proceeds from the sale are to go to an educational trust. • A painting of The Bluff, Durban, by Ruth Prowse, found 25 years ago in a refuse bin in Laingsburg, sold for R55 700. The seller noticed this painting amongst a pile of rubbish that he was removing from a vacant property, and decided to keep it. Prompted by a Strauss & Co advertisement, he sent an image of the painting for a valuation only to discover that it was by Ruth Prowse and estimated to be worth R25-30 000. Furniture & Decorative Arts The furniture highlight of the year was undoubtedly the rare 18th century Vizagapatam ivory cabinet-on-stand which required the entire Strauss & Co staff force on the telephones, finally selling for R2 046 000 – the highest price paid for a piece of furniture sold at auction in South Africa. Having been in the same family for over 200 years, the owner parted with it with some reluctance, but fortunately the sum realised more than compensated and will go towards his children’s education. We were delighted to have eclipsed our previous record for Cape silver, having achieved R534 720 for a golf presentation cup by John Townsend. Important Collections Cape furniture made headlines repeatedly this year. We had the privilege of handling two important private Cape Collections, the Dr Bothma Buitendag Collection and the Dr Johan Bolt Collection, both of which sold exceptionally well showing a strong market for fine Cape pieces. This was further supported by the high price of R690 680 achieved for the important 18th century Cape West Coast cedarwood, pine and inlaid cupboard. Auction venues We have now held two successful sales at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg and, having received positive feedback from our clients, we intend to continue at this venue. Strauss & Co’s auction weeks in Cape Town have become permanent fixtures on the prestigious Vineyard Hotel calendar which hosts our sales in February/March and October. Antikwaar with Stephan Welz After a long absence, 2013 saw Stephan’s return to the television screen in Antikwaar , a programme aired by Kyknet. Many viewers will remember his appearance in the popular series, Trommel , which ran some years ago. Once again, members of the public were invited to submit pieces for valuation which Stephan handled with his usual aplomb. Strauss Online Continuing in the vein of international auction industry developments, this year we introduced Strauss Online , a solely online auction platform where all sales are time-limited ( www.straussartonline.co.za) . This industry advancing platform has been developed to nurture the broader art market and to make quality fine and decorative art works accessible to a wider market. Potential buyers and emerging collectors will have the benefit of being able to view and bid on sales from anywhere in the world. This is the first dedicated, exclusively online-only art and antiques auction website in South Africa and gives us the ability to host sales more regularly, thereby relieving clients of the lengthy wait between the four annual catalogue auctions. With its focus on more affordable art, Strauss Online will reach an enormous audience of art appreciators, far more than would ever be able to view a live, physical auction. There has been a marked increase in virtual stores and online sales platforms globally. The online art trade 2013 showed that an increasing number of people are prepared to spend £50000 or more on a single item online, without seeing it“in the flesh”. With the benefit of Strauss & Co’s principled reputation, superior standard of cataloguing and expertise, and the guarantee of quality and authenticity, research by ArtTactic corroborates that this product will indeed be highly successful, as trust and reputation, more than technology or pricing, are the primary driving forces behind online success. Recently TEFAF reported the value of the global art market at $56bn. ArtTactic estimates that online sales across all platforms for 2012 were $870m, and will rise to $2.1bn by 2017. 1 FNB Jo’burg Art Fair Strauss & Co assisted the Friends of the National Gallery (FONG) with their attendance at this year’s FNB Johannesburg Art Fair. With most of our public museums and galleries faced with restricted budgets a selection of works donated to the South African National Gallery by the Friends was showcased. On loan from Strauss & Co was Jane Alexander’s, Untitled , which was of particular significance given its relevance to the Butcher Boys . It attracted a great deal of attention and by all accounts, was the star of the show. Cape Town Art Fair Strauss & Co participated in Cape Town’s first Art Fair held in October at the V&A Waterfront. The original brief was that only items under R50 000 could be exhibited, so it was the 7