It is rare for works by great Masters to appear on the art market — and when they do, most likely one of five “Ds” is behind the owners letting go of some of their most prized possessions.
“We used to talk about the three Ds, and now we have added two more [when it comes to why people sell].
"Generally speaking, it is death, divorce, debt, downsizing or diversifying,” explains Bina Genovese, managing executive at Strauss & Co, the fine art auctioneers and art consultants.
We are standing in one of the expansive rooms displaying the 105 lots which comprise one of the largest collections of South African modern and contemporary art on offer in one space, which will all go under the hammer on Tuesday night as part of a live and virtual auction.
This, though, is Thursday evening at Strauss & Co’s Houghton, Johannesburg, HQ, for a cocktail and preview of the works, valued conservatively at R60m in total, which span more than a century’s harvest of South African art in canvas, sculpture and tapestry.
They range from Frans Oerder’s arresting portrait of his gardener, painted in the 1890s (estimated to fetch for no less than R120K) to one of the most recent, a digital print by Mary Sibande valued between R180,000 and R240,000.
Only a few minutes after the four-hour preview opened, I was the first to arrive which meant that not only could I view many of the pieces before the serious patrons turned up — but I also couldn’t avoid the tempting harvest table from popular Melville cafe, Service Station, which featured vegan and mutton samosas, courgette fritters, mini beef sirloin rolls, a creamy liver pate and a substantial cheese and roasted pears board.
This being a gathering of the quiet and often generational wealth who acutely understand the value of art as investment rather than the flashy Gucci and Maybach set, I don’t recognise many of those viewing works such as the trio of Irma Sterns from the painter’s golden period led by her Still Life with Dahlias and Pumpkin, estimated to be worth between R10m and R12m (side note: in March this year, as auctioneer Bina Genovese set an African record when the neo-expressionist painter’s Children Reading the Koran, from the same period went for R22.3m off a similar estimate).
I do though, spot Dionne Ellerine of the property and furniture dynasty, who came with her husband Marc Hirschowitz and their young daughter, as well as painter, sculptor and printmaker James Delaney (equally well-known for his rehabilitation of the Joburg green lung, The Wilds).
Onto meeting another artist who braved the chillier climes in what I understand is his signature shorts ensemble: Joachim Schönfeldt, one of the founders of renowned Fordsburg artists’ studios, The Bag Factory.
I am drawn to the museum-worthy mixed media on canvas, Blue Suede Shoe, by the modernist, Dumile Feni, before joining a gathering including Absa’s group financial director, Jason Quinn, and Niall Lynch, the Hyundai CEO and Motus exec, who listen attentively as senior art specialist Dr Alastair Meredith schools us on the provenance of many of the works.
Particularly intriguing is the story behind Gerard Sekoto’s pre-exile oil on canvas, Up Prinsloo Street (signed and dated 1946), which gently captures women crossing a Pretoria intersection which is now the corner of Madiba and Sisulu streets.
Turns out its previous ownership circles back to one of Bina’s Ds: part of the collection of a family-run company, it was discovered gathering dust after the founder died and his children moved to Switzerland.
Valued at a cool R2.5m-plus, that’s cause enough to take a closer eye to what you might find when clearing out dad’s digs.
Fast fashion, on the other hand, is hardly an investment — though the newest collab from mass Swedish clothing retailer H&M is bound to increase your cred among the cool kids.
And while I once picked up a Thierry Mugler original in London in the late 1990s, I’d look like mutton dressed as Karoo lamb if I pitched up in a lot of the pieces in this capsule strong on skin and stars and a dose of strategic corsetry.
Not so the young ‘uns who came out to sashay on Wednesday evening at Atlas Studios in Milpark, Joburg, all kitted up in the Mugler x HM collection, designed under the creative direction of Casey Cadwallader (Thierry died a year ago) and was set to drop at two local H&M flagship stores and online the following day.
Despite the late start of 7pm, again I was the first to arrive at the atmospherically dark venue which felt like an early noughties club with chrome plated DJ booth and strobing blue lights.
Checking out the threads displayed in one corner was TV personality Kim Jayde who, having successfully helped launch kicks haven Sneaker District, might soon be back on the box.
And then there was Nomalanga Shozi who has gone back to her roots, in her case acting on the new 1Magic drama slash comedy series, Roomies.
Having a catchup was R&B singer Ndivhuwo Elaine Mukheli, better known as simply Elaine, and Pretoria-based designer Orapeleng Modutle in a show-stopping outfit which I am sure many of his clients would love to rock.
Another designer I assumed I would also see but didn’t was Rich Mnisi, who steamed up his IG feed with some of the denim Mugler H&M looks in the lead up to the launch. Meanwhile, someone I never expected to meet in this “underground club” was the former leader of the opposition, Lindiwe Mazibuko.
“I am here as Debbie’s plus one,” explained Lindiwe, introducing me to her friend Siphesihle “Debbie” Dube, who had previously been the face of H&M’s Beyond the Rainbow campaign.
Who would have thought I would be praising the food at a fashionista do, but the folk at the Swedish fast fash purveyor know a thing or two about serving stylish and tasty nosh.
The beef in the smoked miso fillet skewers was so succulent I was convinced it was Wagyu, the sesame and schezwan-coated halloumi with a Parmesan wafer atop was simply scrumptious, while the bowls of fillet noisettes, pea spheres and potato mille-feuille squares on mushroom duxelles tasted as good as it sounds.
My only fault was the noir buns (mini burgers with charcoal buns) which is hardly the sort of snack you look chic eating, whether you’re in Mugler or not.
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