On the occasion of renewed worldwide attention to the work of artist William Kentridge, Strauss & Co is pleased to present William Kentridge: in printa timed, single-artist online auction covering works made between 1981 and 2016. Alongside its timely Kentridge sale, Strauss & Co is running a general online auction of modern, post-war art only and contemporary which includes a stand-alone session devoted to the art of the 1970s.
Kentridge’s large-scale work Garibaldi (estimate R700,000–800,000), a 20-part artist-related etching from 2016 Triumphs and Lamentations frieze on the walls of the Tiber in Rome, leads the selection of works in William Kentridge: in print. The first batch for the 1970s session is that of Helmut Starcke Bird of Fire (estimate R250,000 – 300,000), a fabulous pop painting from 1968. The 28 lots of William Kentridge: in print will close at staggered intervals beginning at 9 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022, while the five-session online auction will close abruptly at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022.
“In a sense, William Kentridge’s prints archive many, if not most, of his other phenomenal works such as his stop-frame animated films, opera productions, performances, artist’s books and his charcoal drawings, and even his sculptural works,” says Wilhelm van Rensburg, Senior Art Specialist and Chief Curator of Strauss & Co, which organized the two auctions. “His prints engender a more thoughtful expression and enduring of his recurring motifs, and suggest alternative meanings and methods that can be identified in his larger work. Strauss & Co is pleased and privileged to offer such a wide variety of Kentridge prints.
William Kentridge was deeply marked by the 1970s. After completing an undergraduate degree at the University of the Witwatersrand, Kentridge studied at the Johannesburg Art Foundation under artist Bill Ainslie in 1976-78 and held his first personal exhibition in 1979. Woman with shopping cart + cat (estimate R30,000 – 50,000), from the 1981 series Domestic scenesis a beautiful elaboration of the artist’s early work concerns.
Printed in 1994, the engraving Felix in exile (estimate R300,000 – 500,000) depicts scenes from the animated film of the same name that defined Kentridge’s career. Photolithography Drawing Cyclopedia (estimate R180,000 – 240,000) features an exploded view of a flipbook depicting a human figure transforming into a flying bird, and vice versa. It is related to The magic flutethe first full-scale opera Kentridge produced in 2005.
Strauss & Co is pleased to partner with the Warehouse Art Museum in Milwaukee, USA on its educational program for their exhibition William Kentridge: See for Yourself (on view until December 16, 2022). Upcoming lectures will focus on the themes of printmaking and conservation strategies, and will feature contributions from master printmaker Kim Berman, among others. Kentridge is the subject of numerous international investigative exhibitions in 2022, with upcoming openings at the Royal Academy in London and the Broad in Los Angeles.
Strauss & Co’s five-session online general auction opens with an exceptional survey of art from the 1970s. This decade was a time of global economic crises and social instability, as well as advances technology and creative innovation in the visual arts. The session includes 69 works by important personalities representative of the times, including Armando Baldinelli, Walter Battiss, Nils Burwitz, -Norman Catherine, Giuseppe Cattaneo, Sidney Goldblatt, Wopko Jensma, Ezrom Legae, Judith Mason, Stanley Pinker, Fred Schimmel, Cecil Skotnes, Anton Uys, Hannatjie van der Wat and Andrew Verster. A discerning writing prepared by Wilhelm van Rensburg accompanies the session.
Exhibition open to the public at Strauss & Co, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 89 Central Street, Houghton
Browse, bid, buy on www.straussart.co.za
Catalog: Link to the Kentridge Catalog
Videos:
1970s: https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/videos/25-jul-2022
Kentridge: https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/videos/25-jul-2022-timed