Strauss & co - 2017 Review

What I really hope for when consigning a work to auction is that it is a great example of the artist’s work, that it is fresh to the market, and that it is offered at estimates attractive to both the seller and potential bidders. I feel a tinge of extra excitement when it is an artist that I really like myself. In the case of Walter Battiss’s important oil on paper, The Early Men (1938), I was in my element. Battiss was an innovative painter who explored the limits of painting in South Africa. The Early Men was produced after his return from Europe in 1938 and merges a modern vision of painting with the rock art he was devoted to. In 2015 Strauss & Co successfully consigned an impressive Battiss titled Red Rock (1949) which sold for R1.8 million at our March 2016 sale. When the same seller emailed to say they were looking to dispose of an “iconic Battiss” my heart just about stopped. I knew we were in for something truly special. I followed the references given in the email to the book in our library where the work was illustrated and what I saw took my breath away. I suppose this really encapsulates the thrill of consigning – it is like a slow treasure hunt, where patience and commitment lead to the discovery of hidden gems. One element of the work that struck me when I first saw The Early Men at the client’s home was its size. Looking at tiny reproductions of artworks in books and on electronic screens rarely prepares one for seeing a work “in the flesh”. The Early Men was much bigger and more powerful than the illustration had suggested. What a thrilling encounter. Once consigned, I couldn’t wait to get it back to the office and share my joyous news with my colleagues but, tomy exasperation, I discovered that it wouldn’t fit in my car. We had to arrange for the work to be collected at a later stage. I returned to the office and for days was like an impatient child at Christmas waiting for her special present to arrive. Kirsty Colledge on Walter Battiss The Early Men 69