Strauss & co - Review 2023

contemporary art. Looking beyond the records, I was gratified by the impressive performance of earlier 20th-century African modernists like Ben Enwonwu, Sydney Kumalo, Freida Lock, Hugo Naudé, Cecil Skotnes, Moses Tladi, Vladimir Tretchikoff, Edoardo Villa and Pieter Wenning. There can be no doubt that Strauss & Co remains the best marketplace to trade artworks by important African modernists. Important wine sales in 2023 Now in its fourth year of trading, the wine department continued toachieve solid results.Wehosted17wineauctions and three charitable auctions. The strong results achieved in H1, notably from a single-owner private collection of South African and French wines (93% of lots sold) and collection of fine wines from Italy and Spain (100% of lots sold), persisted throughout H2. Noteworthy sales in H2 included a Chenin and Pinotage auction in September (95% of lots sold) and Burgundy and Champagne auction in October (77% of lots sold). Among the individual winemakers offered at auction in 2023, collectable vintages from Kanonkop, Sadie Family and Meerlust continued to rank among the top local producers sold. Our wine department coordinated both the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction and Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Online Auction, achieving 100% lots sold at each. Charitable initiatives are integral to good corporate citizenship and Strauss & Co also successfully handled another edition of our collaborative wine auction with Dan Nicholl and The Nicholl Foundation. Notable design sales in 2023 Strauss & Co presented ten auctions of decorative arts and jewellery in 2023. The year began with a succinct offering of works by pioneering ceramicist Esias Bosch in February, and concluded in November with two auctions, including a specialist presentation of Chinese Pottery collected by a European collector. A focus on Cape Furniture and Metalware in July achieved 83% lots sold. In September, a presentation of collectable mid-century modern furniture by a cohort of illustrious European designers yielded impressive individual and overall results, with 86% of lots sold. I credit our robust systems and commitment to hiring appropriate talent to replace Vanessa Phillips, who retired in 2022, for this consistent performance. Operational innovation and change Our adherence to strong corporate governance practices remains unwavering. The Board continued to oversee effective risk management strategies, ensuring the long- term sustainability of the company. In 2023, Strauss &Co welcomed KhetiweMcClain and Jo-Ann Strauss, two formidable businesspeople with outstanding professional credentials, to our Board. Khetiwe McClain, a mining entrepreneur with an international background in art, was appointed as Client Advisory Executive. Jo-Ann Strauss, a media entrepreneur and international speaker, serves as a Non-Executive Director. The appointments were prompted by the retirement of Elisabeth Bradley and Conrad Strauss – founding board members since 2009 – as well as Carmen Welz. We took our time to find appropriate individuals to succeed our outgoing Board members. Khetiwe and Jo-Ann are highly appropriate in their individual capacities and will, I believe, bolster our women-driven Board and executivemanagement team. Their energy and drive, coupled with their proven competence and internationalism, will be invaluable as we transform and expand our business locally, on the continent, and beyond. I want to personally thank Elisabeth, Carmen and Conrad for their many years of service on the Board. Accomplished businesspeople, they each graciously and with great commitment provided support and leadership that enabled Strauss & Co to thrive. Their tireless inputs contributed to the forming of a solid foundation on which others have been able to build, and will continue to build. Thank you, Elisabeth, Carmen and Conrad. In 2023, the duty of managing the day-to-day operations of Strauss & Co was reorganised to enhance decision making and operational efficiency. 6