Strauss & co - Review 2023

throughout 2023 for paintings by George Pemba, Gerard Sekoto and Moses Tladi, works on paper by Dumile Feni, and sculpture by Sydney Kumalo and Ezrom Legae. Interest in work by Esther Mahlangu, an artist who effortlessly straddles the modern and contemporary art categories, was also robust. We achieved South African records for Sethembile Msezane, Richard Mudariki, Simphiwe Ndzube and Cinga Samson. This is cause for optimism in 2024, and beyond. Strategies for maximising visibility Before I discuss notable individual sales in 2023 it bears stating that auctioneering is not a passive business. It demands focussed sales and marketing strategies aimed at maximising the visibility and context of individual lots. The goal is to achieve the best-possible value for our clients while participating in the market in a sustainable manner. Our passion and flair for selling collectables enabled us to achieve this mission in a time of recessionary behaviour. Building on lessons from the past few years, in 2023 we continued to present creatively themed auctions of new-to- market work. Some standout auctions included Curatorial Voices: Modern and Contemporary Art from Africa in February, Rare and Fine Wine from Italy and Spain in May, JH Pierneef: Close to Home and C. 100 Sculptures , both in July, Mid-Century Modern Furniture in September, Transcending Boundaries: International Modern and Contemporary Art in October and Young Guns and New Wave Producers in November. These auctions consistently attracted new bidders and buyers, both from within South Africa and internationally. Bidders from more than 20 countries vied for lots in Transcending Boundaries , our innovative auction of modern and contemporary art from the Americas, Asia Pacific, British Isles and Europe. More than half of successful bids in this landmark auction featuring a work by Pierre-Auguste Renoir were placed by new buyers. New buyers also accounted for a fifth of the sales in Defining Impressions: A Selection of Prints from South African Studios , a standalone auction of rare and collectable works on paper held in November. Our themed wine auctions similarly attracted large audience interest. All the wines in our May sale of rare and fine wines from Italy and Spain sold, indicating a deepening of our access to international fine- wine collectors. Much of our efforts in the future will be aimed at retaining and deepening the relationship with our loyal Southern African client base, and increasingly in attracting new clients based on the continent and abroad. This will be vital for the sustainability of the African art market and is key for Strauss & Co in achieving our vision to be the most dynamic auction house in Africa, driven by expertise, technology and commitment to excellence. Noteworthy art sales in 2023 Historically, art accounts for the lion’s share of Strauss & Co’s turnover. In 2023, we hosted 24 dedicated auctions of modern and contemporary art. Gratifyingly, we continued to find buyers for high-value paintings and sculpture. We achieved record prices for works by, among others, Dumile Feni, JH Pierneef, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Cinga Samson, Irma Stern, Ruby Swinney and Vladimir Tretchikoff. We also affirmed the market status of artists such as William Kentridge, George Pemba, Alexis Preller and Gerard Sekoto. In March, we sold Irma Stern’s Children Reading the Koran , a devotional scene painted in 1939, for a new African record price of R22.3 / $1.227 million. In May, an exile-period colour work on paper by Dumile Feni sold for R2.3 million / $119 805, a world record. InOctober, a South African collector acquired Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Fruits (Oranges et Citrons) from 1912 for R4.575 million / $238 300. Strauss & Co was the first auction house on the African continent to successfully offer a work by this French master. Our commitment to contemporary art remains steadfast. In February we achieved South African records for a host of contemporary painters in our Curatorial Voices auction. I will return to this auction shortly. In November William Kentridge proved his international star appeal at Johannesburg Auction Week, topping the rankings of both our premier evening sale and Defining Impressions , a specialist print-making sale. These superb individual results confirmed Strauss & Co’s role as Africa’s leading auction house for modern and 5