Life Force - The Still LIfes of Irma Stern

1 Irma Stern is an important figure in the history of South African art. An undeniable innovator, her portrait and still life paintings have been especially admired by generations of collectors. Nearly a half-century after her passing, Stern’s legacy endures and she continues to outperform all other South African artists at auction. She is Strauss & Co’s top-selling artist. In March 2009, when Strauss & Co held its inaugural auction in Johannesburg, the sale included a selection of Stern’s paintings and drawings including her enigmatic still life, Magnolias in an Earthen Pot (1949). I am delighted that Strauss & Co senior art specialist Wilhelm van Rensburg selected this important work for this timely exhibition of Stern’s still lifes. Stern produced many still lifes throughout her career. They were integral to her identity as a painter and enabled her to refine her expressionistic use of colour and dynamic detailing of objects. Strauss & Co is proud to underwrite the exhibition Life Force: The Still Lifes of Irma Stern . It is it the biggest public exhibition of this aspect of Stern’s output since the 2003 exhibition Irma Stern: Expressions of a Journey at the Standard Bank Gallery, also curated by Wilhelm van Rensburg. Strauss & Co’s decision to participate in the 2018 RMB Turbine Art Fair with a Stern exhibition is based on the enthusiastic feedback we received to last year’s curated exhibition at the fair. That exhibition looked at another past master, J.H. Pierneef, in particular his remarkable prints. This catalogue and the exhibition it supports form part of Strauss & Co’s long-term strategy to support and encourage connoisseurship among new art audiences. Our support extends to nurturing interest in older artists and past masters among new art buyers and up-and-coming artists. To this end, Strauss & Co has produced an exhibition of still-life works by tertiary art students inspired by an encounter with Stern. Work from students at Artist Proof Studio, Imbali Visual Literacy Project, Open Window Institute, Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg and the University of Pretoria is on display. It is our hope that these on-going initiatives will serve to deepen the public’s interest in South Africa’s rich and diverse art history. Frank Kilbourn executive chairman Strauss & Co Foreword