Strauss & co - Review 2021

Bronze sculpture, far from being passé, proved its enduring appeal. Anton van Wouw’s Slegte Nuus , a Nisini bronze depicting two Boer soldiers, sold for R5.1 million in April – the second-highest price ever achieved by Van Wouw at Strauss & Co. It had impeccable provenance: the poet AD Keet ordered it directly from the artist in 1926. Sydney Kumalo’s magnificent bronze Saint Francis (numbered V/X), a stylised portrayal of the Christian saint who renounced a life of wealth and privilege, sold for R3.8 million in May, more than double the high estimate. Sydney Kumalo Saint Francis Sold R3 755 400 29