Strauss & co - 2016 Review

After a red-hot year, the sculpture market recalibrates In 2015, sculpture consistently delivered the biggest surprises at Strauss & Co auctions, with a seminal work by master sculptor Anton van Wouw rating among the year’s standout lots. Despite noticeable softening in this segment, sculpture remained an important offering with old faithfuls proving their dependability and newcomers continuing to surprise. Utrecht-born Anton van Wouw continued to yield consistent results in 2016. In October, R852 600 was paid for Van Wouw’s The Dagga Smoker . Cast at the Massa foundry in Rome, the price represented a small gain from 2015 when another example sold for R795 760 at a Strauss & Co sale in Johannesburg. Other noteworthy Van Wouw sales included The Mealiepap Eater (R454 720), The Bushman Hunter (R397 880) and The Hammer Worker (R341 040). The latter work is a preliminary study for one of Van Wouw’s most recognisable sculptures, Miner with Hand Drill , a superb realist portrayal of a mine labourer from 1911 that fetched R4 774 560 at a 2015 Strauss & Co sale. Anton vanWouw The Dagga Smoker Sold R852 600, 10 October 2016 34