Strauss & co - 2017 Review

Top 10 artists by sales total – sold at Strauss & Co in 2017 Million Rand 50 40 30 20 10 0 Irma Stern 18 lots R48 376 524 JH Pierneef 62 lots R42 589 632 Alexis Preller 24 lots R33 531 600 William Kentridge 53 lots R26 377 093 Maggie Laubser 30 lots R19 036 130 Robert Hodgins 48 lots R6 507 611 Gerard Sekoto 7 lots R6 185 328 Walter Battiss 70 lots R5 498 390 Anton vanWouw 9 lots R4 831 400 Hugo Naudé 22 lots R4 715 285 South African masters like Stern and Pierneef, along with Maggie Laubser, Gerard Sekoto and Anton van Wouw, have long occupied the top tier of local auction tables. But 2017 witnessed other important gains, especially by artists in the post- war and contemporary categories. Alexis Preller continues to perform extremely well at auction and was Strauss & Co’s third most valuable artist in 2017, achieving combined sales of R33 531 600 from 24 lots sold. WilliamKentridge placed fourth, achieving R26 377 093 from 53 lots sold. The result firmly establishes him as a bellwether contemporary artist at auction. Maggie Laubser placed fifth with R19 036 130 in sales from 30 lots sold. 14