Strauss & co - Review 2018

By contrast, Strauss & Co’s November sale featured a modest two-lot consignment originally from the important Schweickerdt family of art dealers in Pretoria. Pierneef’s casein landscapes are esteemed for the painterly prowess and instinct they evidence. Painted in 1928, Lowveld Eastern Transvaal (illustrated in PG Nel’s important 1990 book on the artist) and Willow Trees, Rooiplaat , both attracted considerable interest – and hugely satisfying results. Strauss & Co’s track record at market is key to its ability to secure important single-owner collections. Notable sales of important collections from the last decade include: • Professor Walter Beck Collection, 2012 – Chinese ceramics, Japanese cloisonné and 20th-century Italian glassware; • Vivienne Linder Collection, 2012 – exceptional period jewellery pieces; • Gavin Watkins Collection, 2014 – fine and rare Cape furniture; • Harry Lits Collection, 2014 – large-scale and important works by Amadlozi Group artists; • Herbert Prins Collection, 2014 – superb Indian colonial silver and martavan stoneware; • Dr Bothma Buitendag Collection, 2015 – mid-20th century Italian glass; • Hardebeck Collection, 2016 – wide-ranging sale of art and household objects, including significant works by Alexis Preller and Irma Stern; • Ruth and Jerome Siegel Collection, 2016 – important post-war art, notably Alexis Preller’s Adam (1969); and • Barloworld Collection, 2017 – assistance with disposal of 35 historical paintings to enable a refocus of the core collection. See pages 56-63 for all collections sold by Strauss & Co from 2009 to 2018. “The team at Strauss & Co has proved its ability to handle important collections, whether from large estates or as part of a re-focus of corporate activities,” noted Frank Kilbourn, Strauss & Co’s chairman. Looking ahead, Strauss & Co is optimistic about this important component of its business model. It has already secured four important single-owner collections for its March 2019 sale. These include, artworks from The Shill Collection and The Late Sol Munitz Collection, The Dr Johan Bolt Collection of Cape furniture and the Dr JR and Mary Strong Collection of Oriental works of art. Highlights from the Shill Collection include an important Stern portrait and Preller’s seminal work Collected Images (1952), a visual inventory of his painterly interests. The Sol Munitz Collection includes two peak-period Stern portraits with undoubted wall presence. As is evident, the depth of private collections in South Africa is significant – and will continue to surprise buyers. 30