SABA FEB 2010

BUSINESS ART FEBRUARY 2010 | E-mail: subs@arttimes.co.za | Member of the Global Art Information Group

- Art Leader -

Jonathan Liebmann Arts on Main, Johannesburg

By Michael Coulson Given that his father, Benji, is the moving spirit behind the Nirox Foundation, you might think that Jonathan Liebmann’s decision to develop the Arts on Main complex was a deliberate bid to extend a family tradition of philanthropy in arts. But not at all, he insists; his approach came from the other side, to wit property development, though the influence of his wife Lauren Wallett, an artist who used to run a performing arts school, shouldn’t be dismissed.

Liebmann’s inspiration was the loft developments in areas like New York’s SoHo and London’s docklands, which had become run down and virtually deserted as the commercial and industrial activities that were their original raison d’etre had either declined or migrated elsewhere. As cities grew, at first artists realised that these peripheral areas offered large spaces for studios at cheap rents; then, inevitably, property developers grasped that here were buildings that, however neglected, were structurally much more solid than many recent projects, while as suburban sprawl mushroomed, their location was again becoming attractive.

In Jo’burg, the Newtown area was a (some would say, half-baked) attempt at urban regeneration. But the area east of the old CBD, once the centre of flourishing textile and clothing industries and wholesale trade, was both bigger and more challenging, lacking any existing magnetlike Newtown’s Market Theatre complex. Still, it has better motorway limks and, partly thanks to its proximity to Ellis Park, both the Jo’burg Development Agency

Daniel Naudé, Africans 12, Richmond, 4 April 2009. To be seen at African scenery and animals a solo exhibition by Daniel Naudé until 13 February 2010, at The Brodie/Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg.

Image courtesy of Brodie/Stevenson and the corporate sector have been beefing up the environment and improving security.

Once Liebmann had decided to take the plunge and lined up financial backing, he moved quickly. He bought the property -- effectively just five empty warehouses -- that became Arts on Main in February 2008, and the first occupant, William Kentridge, moved in barely six months later. Liebmann says that Kentridge’s early commitment was a major factor in establish

ing the credibility of the concept.

He says all available space has now been taken up, though not everybody has actually moved in. About half the space is let out and the rest sold on sectional title. There’s a varied tenant mix: individual artists, other creative professionals, commercial galleries and a restaurant. Interestingly, while some commercial tenants, like Goodman Gallery, the Goethe Institute and David Krut, have set up satellite operations at Arts on Main, others, like

Bailey’s African Archives (formerly at 44 Stanley Avenue) and Seippel Gallery, have moved lock, stock and barrel.

Given that, however laudable the enterprise, neither Liebmann nor his backers are charities, how successful is Arts on Main? Is it making money? It’s a private business, and Liebmann is unwilling to disclose any figures, though he does say that -- as one would expect -- the refurbishment cost was a multiple of the basic cost of the property.

His backers can’t be too unhappy, though, as they’re already following up with the second, and much more expensive, phase of the Maboneng (“Place of Light”) precinct, a name he coined to define an area that’s as broad and long as he cares to make it. This is Main Street Life, just a block away to the east of Arts on Main, which will be a mixed-use development of a very different character.

Arts on Main was basically big empty spaces that could be

carved up vertically and horizontally, with partitions and mezzanines. Main Street Life is a more conventional industrial building, with a rigid floor pattern.

Much of the hype around Main Street Life has hinged on the incorporation of a boutique hotel, but this is actually a minor component -- only 3% of the total floor space, he says. The ground floor will offer retail and an entrance/gallery space, there’ll be five floors of affordable residential accommodation (studio and two-bedroomed flats) for young creative artists, and the top floor will contain seven penthouses (one of which he intends to live in) and the 12room hotel. The the roof will be an event space with 360-degree panoramic views. Occupation is planned from June 1.

The residential floors will also include common exhibition and studio space for residents’ use, while the 12 hotel rooms will each be individually decorated by an artist to reflect the 12 decades of the city’s history.

With residential rentals starting as low as R2 800 a month, and outright purchase at R290 000 (there’ve already been a few sales), there’s obviously a risk that, as has happened elsewhere, early creative artist buyers will be tempted to take profits and sell on to investors. Liebmann is aware of this, and hopes to limit it. As at Arts on Main, the developer will sell only half the units and keep the rest for rental, while the rules of the body corporate will also restrict how common spaces may be used. It remains to be seen how successful these initiatives will be in preserving the character of the building.

For a man who’s still in his 20s, working largely on his own, with no big corporate resources to back him up, Liebmann has achieved a lot in a short time. It’s inconceivable that Main Street Life is his ultimate ambition. On past experience, within the next year or so we may expect phase three of the Maboneng precinct.

One can only hope that his reach doesn’t exceed his grasp and over extend him beyond what any individual, however driven, can physically keep tabs on.

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PAGE 02

INTERNATIONAL ART MARKET

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

Christie’s Could the art market be undergoing announces 2009 a fundamental restructuring?

Global Art Sales 2010 will be a year of continued reshaping: auctions will remain smaller and private sales will be preferred by many collectors Total $3.3 Billion

First Published in Art Daily NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, today announced that 2009 sales totaled £2.1 billion/$3.3 billion, a 24% decrease in £ (35% decrease in $) over 2008 sales. Sales totals include private sales of £265.7 million/$417.2 million, a decrease of 1% by £ on 2008 figures, and reflect those brokered by Christie’s as well as sales conducted by Christie’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Haunch of Venison.

In 2009, Christie’s achieved 56.4% global auction sales market share against its main competitor and sold 61% of the works sold over $10 million and 60% of the lots sold over $5 million. Christie’s sold 4 of the top 5 and 7 of the top 10 works of art sold during the year. For the year, Christie’s sold a total of 381 works of art at auction for more than $1 million. The market clearly demonstrated sustained demand for genuinely rare masterpieces, works fresh to the market and works of great provenance.

While sales volumes decreased on previous years, the stability of the art market and the appetite of the global buying audience were demonstrated by a significant increase in average auction sold rates by lot.

In 2009, average auction sold rates rose 5% to 80% from 75% last year. The % of lots sold at or above high estimate also increased to 36%, illustrating sustained price levels and the continued intrinsic value of art.

“2009 was a remarkable year for Christie’s,” said Edward Dolman, CEO of Christie’s International. “Despite the wider economic environment, the art market maintained momentum and Christie’s continued its leadership across the globe, taking market share against its closest competitor, and selling the most expensive lot of the year, Head of a muse by Raphael for £29.2 million ($47.9 million €32.2 million), a world record price for any work on paper, the 2nd highest price for any Old Master painting or drawing and a world record price for the artist at auction. In addition, an astonishing record was set by the sale of the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the highest grossing single owner collection sale ever presented.”

In 2009, Christie’s private sales activity grew by 3% to 12.5% as a percentage of its global art sales year-on-year, demonstrat-

ing the significance of this channel as an increasingly important, discreet route to the market and Christie’s ability to quickly match rare works of art to new owners throughout the world and deliver results.

“The market outlook is confident and is underpinned by the returning dominance of private buyers, from the Americas, the Middle East, as well as Mainland China and Asia,” said Mr. Dolman. “The continuing growth and global nature of the art market is also evident in the number of new buyers in Christie’s sales worldwide. In particular, in 2009, the value bought by Chinese buyers worldwide in Christie’s sales increased by 94%. Within the Greater China region (Hong Kong, Taiwan and China), Chinese buyers now represent 35% of all buying value, an increase of 20% over 2008. Russian buyers spent less than in 2008 across all departments, but the number of lots they bought increased by 13%. In addition, registrations from the clients in the Middle East increased by almost 30%, the highest increase of any geographic region.”

Christie’s continues to differentiate itself from its competitors by leading the art market internationally and offering the broadest international service to clients at differing price levels and sale locations. Christie’s investment in innovation provides new and existing audiences access to the art market.

Online bidding via Christie’s LIVETM continued to deliver a large number of winning bids and new registrants and in 2009, 30% of all bids and 14% of all winning bids came in through online channels.

Winning bidders participating online increased by 40% on 2008. In 2009, $68.4 million (£43.5 million) was bid online including premium and Christie’s LIVE™ generated 49,343 accepted bids for the year. In 2009, Christie’s launched its new I-phone application. (A separate press release is available).

Mr. Dolman concluded, “Christie’s is committed to providing the leading art sales platform globally, offering unparalleled expertise combined with the highest standards of innovation.

Despite 2009 being a demanding year, we remain in a strong financial position and well positioned to capitalize on the continuing art market recovery and the growth potential of Asia, the Middle East and Russia.”

SA Business Art February 2010

By Michael Plummer and Jeff Rabin. First Published in The Art Newspaper, January 2010 AMR Contemporary Art 100 Index In 2005, due to the timely convergence of several factors, the art investment story started gaining traction. A substantial increase in art prices sparked investment ambitions and led outsiders to take note. An excess of global liquidity and the allure of alternative investments combined to attract a new breed of buyer—the “investor-collector” and the “speculative-collector”. Taking stock of today’s art market, many observers are left asking (even in light of some recent high profile prices at the end of 2009): were the significant increases all hyperbole generated by a global asset bubble? If art is truly uncorrelated, as many argue, why did prices and turnover drop so precipitously during the financial market free-fall? And perhaps most important of all, has the market finally hit bottom and started to stabilise?

In making any projections, one must view the art market in the context of the larger global economy. Tracking the performance of other assets, primarily financial, often lends valuable insight as to where the general art market is headed, but one has to be careful about oversimplified comparisons such as the art market lags the financial markets by “X” number of months. It is wealth creation and liquidity that fuel this market, and its absence can have a sudden and dramatic impact on transaction volume and pricing, as painfully witnessed in the 2008/2009 auction season.

“This time is different,” was the mantra of the recent market peak. Collectors were told—unlike the Japanesedriven impressionist art bubble of the late 1980s—that the most recent run-up in prices was of a completely different nature. This time, those “in-the-know” claimed, buying was more broadly based due to the following three factors: the significant increase in the world-wide “super-rich”; the arrival of collectors from the emerging markets, the Middle East, Latin America, Russia and Asia; and the rising interest in contemporary art among the expanding wealth base in America.

While this argument was in part true, just because new buyers had arrived in large numbers did not mean that

they could not also leave in large numbers. Markets can fall precipitously overnight should collectors, “investor-collectors” and “speculative-collectors” change their perception of value, especially in a market which is opaque, unregulated and not tied to an objective, standard valuation methodology.

This vulnerability becomes most apparent when comparing the two-week marathon of impressionist & modern and post war & contemporary auctions in New York in the autumn of 2007 with those from the autumn of 2008—$1.6bn against $729m respectively. The quality of material at auction was comparable; the only missing ingredient was buyer demand, resulting in a dramatic drop in prices and works sold. Lower auction prices combined with the loss of guarantees (inhibiting the owners of important works from selling at auction) further exacerbated the market contraction and the drop in prices. In autumn 2009, total auction sales were only $596m, or less than 40% of the peak (see Art Market Research’s Contemporary Art 100 Index, shown here).

The most recent iteration of the “broad-base collector” premise is that participants are on the sidelines waiting to return once the economy rebounds. Will they? This assertion needs to be evaluated as carefully as the prior theory was not. While many fortunes have been lost or seriously diminished, there is still considerable worldwide wealth. Yet, and maybe of greater importance, the perception of wealth is considerably different now than in 2007 as we have likely seen the disappearance of the “speculativecollector” for the foreseeable future. Several noted economists, including Paul Krugman, have argued that we are undergoing a monumental restructuring of many sectors of the global economy—media,

retailing, real estate, automo tive and financial services.

Will the art market undergo the same transformation?

The global economy is also undergoing a significant deleveraging that a number of economists expect to continue well into 2011. The impact on the valuation of art assets is not yet fully understood. For example, if residential real-estate in the US remains at 20% to 30% below its peak, that could have a meaningful drag on the art market.

We are also left asking what will be the long-term impact of the significant decrease in net worth as there has been a tremendous negative impact on leading collectors, foundations and institutions. If previously unassailable institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harvard University, are forced into draconian cutbacks as a result of staggering declines in endowments and investment income, what does this suggest about the buying capacity of the art industry’s most visible players? And more recently, what will be the ultimate impact of the current debt crises in Dubai on the broader collecting ambitions of that region of the Middle East?

The market in 2010 Limited art market liquidity, global deleveraging and financial market turmoil had a drastic impact through 2009.

Yet, it is interesting to note that the upheaval in global financial markets has reinforced the long-standing preference of Indian, Chinese and MiddleEastern collectors to hold real assets (art, real estate, gold, etc). Additionally, the emerging economies are recovering faster than those of the US, Japan and Europe. For both of these reasons, the classical Chinese paintings and works of art market, unlike its western counterparts, has seen a less severe effect from the 2008

financial market turmoil.

Some wealthy individuals, concerned about future inflation or a return of financial market instability, have driven gold prices to record highs.

The same concern will drive a number of individuals toward increasing their portfolio allocation to art as an inflation hedge and this could fuel price increases in more well known and higher quality works appealing to more conservative tastes—old masters and impressionist & modern classics.

Art will always be a tremendously valuable asset and a must-hold for both the connoisseur and “investor-collector”.

2010 will be a year of continued reshaping: auctions will remain smaller, private sales will be the preferred method of selling for the majority of collectors, the “best of the best” will garner significant interest and sell well, and second- and third-tier works will be left unsold or see further price reductions. It is no longer a time where a rising tide lifts all boats. However, should there be no significant new shocks to the global economy, the year ahead might just be better than the one behind.

The writers are principals of Artvest Partners LLC. Art Market Research indexes are based on auction sales worldwide.

No verifiable data for private transactions being available, AMR indexes provide the most accurate measure of art markets today. Because exceptional prices can distort index movements, we present the graphs on two bases—100% of data and Central 80% [omitting top 10% and bottom 10%], the latter being the preferred measure for the mainstream of each market. The indexes were updated to include important sales in November and December 2009.

The Art Newspaper, From issue 209, January 2010 Published online 29 Jan 10 (opinion)

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

JOBURG ART FAIR 2010 INTRODUCTION

Joburg Art Fair 2010 www.joburgartfair.co.za

The third annual Joburg Art Fair, presented by FNB, will once again bring the best African art and design to the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from the 26th to the 28th of March 2010. The Fair will house 23 art galleries and 11 Special Projects. Tickets to the Fair will be available at the door and prices will remain at R100 for a one-day pass and R200 for a three-day pass.

Galleries at JAF 2010: Galleries participating in the 2010 Fair are: Afronova Modern and Contemporary, Bailey Seippel Gallery, Brodie/Stevenson Gallery, David Krut Projects, Everard Read Gallery, Gallery AOP, Gallery MOMO, Goodman Gallery, João Ferreira Gallery, Rooke Gallery, Seippel Gallery, SMAC Art Gallery, Whatiftheworld Gallery, ARTCO Gallery, CCA Lagos, Galerie Ames D’Afrique, Galerie Beatrice Binoche, Galerie Peter Herrmann, Gallery Watatu, October Gallery and Omenka Gallery.

Secondary sponsor, Grolsch, has commissioned renowned glass artist, Martli Jansen van Rensburg, to produce a glass installation that will be exhibited for the first time at the Fair. Coowner of Smelt Glass Studio in Melville (Johannesburg), Jansen van Renburg has participated in over 20 exhibitions both in South Africa and internationally. She was a finalist in the ABSA L’Atelier awards in 2004, 2005 and 2007, and has work displayed in private collections in Germany, Scotland, London and Hong Kong.

The installation commissioned by Grolsch for the Joburg Art Fair is entitled Fluid. It takes its inspiration from the movement of water and how the elemental nature of glass in its liquid and solid form can mirror the fluidity of this substance.

Design space by Southern Guild Trevyn and Julian McGowan from Source will again curate the Southern Guild design space for the 2010 Fair, featuring a collection of specially designed, once-off furniture and interior design pieces by 36 of South Africa’s foremost contemporary designers and design studios.

St Leger & Viney artist fabric by Lawrence Lemaoana

Special Projects: Featured Artist 2010: Siemon Allen Building on their curated exhibition of Robin Rhode’s work for the 2008 Fair and Jane Alexander’s Security at the 2009 Fair, the gordonschachatcollection, will facilitate a solo exhibition by Siemon Allen for the 2010 Fair. Siemon Allen is a South African born, US based artist working in the medium of installation and mixed media. Allen collects, documents, archives and then ultimately displays forms of massproduced printed media within the public realm. For the Joburg Art Fair, Allen’s series of 12 print enlargements of rare South African LP’s, entitled Records, will be exhibited. Meticulously scanned and enlarged, the work speaks of a filtering of identity through displacement and the contradictory nature of South African identity specifically from the perspective of a South African living abroad. Allen explores the notion that these objects are self-contained carriers of information both in terms of the evidence of use on the vinyl surface as well as within the printed labels dating back to the release of the album.

Talks Programme The Talks Programme will be expanded upon for the 2010 Joburg Art Fair In a continuing effort to make contemporary art more accessible to the public. Once again, the Talks will be available to ticket holders at no additional cost and will feature local artists, galleries and international speakers.

Art & Industry:

In line with this year’s theme for the Fair: “Art & Industry”, Artlogic has conceptualised a Special Project collaboration between St Leger & Viney and artist, Lawrence Lemaoana. Established in 1989 and quickly becoming one of South Africa’s foremost suppliers of high-end decorative fabric and wallpaper, St Leger & Viney will use a motif designed specifically for this project by Lemaoana, which will be applied and exhibited in dedicated spaces at the Fair.

Pirelli Project featuring Willem Boshoff Pirelli has commissioned a series of granite works by artist Willem Boshoff for the 2010 Fair. These works will be exhibited in a specially designated area.

Page 03

Coulson chats with Ross Douglas about JAF 2010 CEO of Art Logic / Joburg Art Fair

By Michael Coulson The recipe for the third Jo’burg Art Fair, at the Sandton Convention Centre from March 24-26, contains much the same ingredients as before. Expectations of a wholesale collapse of commercial galleries proved a chimera, and while the fair has lost Warren Siebrits, Bell-Roberts and Erdmann galleries, they have been replaced, so that the total number of galleries is a virtually unchanged 23. One initiative that Ross Douglas (CEO of Artlogic, which organises the fair) sees as part of an increasingly important relationship is the development of joint initiatives between industry and artists.

Fabric house St Leger & Viney, for instance, is sponsoring a fabric designed by Lawrence Lemaoana, which will be displayed around the hall. New secondary sponsor Grolsch (an SAB brand) has commissioned a sculpture in green glass from Martli Jansen van Rensburg, while Pirelli has asked Willem Boshoff to create what Douglas calls a work in sand inspired by Pirelli tyres – though the press release says it will be in granite.

FNB has renewed its primary sponsorship for three years. Alfa Romeo has taken over the sponsorship of the Art Talks, while the Goethe Institute will again bring out speakers from Germany.

In associated events, Gordon Schachat is sponsoring an exhibition by US-based but SA-born Siemon Allen, comprising 12 print enlargements of rare SA LPs, and Graham’s Fine Art has curated an exhibition of SA Modernist Art. In all, 11 special projects will accompany the fair.

Douglas says that, given the economic environment, it has been a difficult year for finding sponsors, which is why he’s so pleased with the industry-artist joint projects. Industry, he rightly says, has resources on a scale way beyond what’s available to artists.

Whether these initiatives will be enough to lure back those who attended the first two fairs remains to be seen.

Art Development: Artlogic is serious about development in contemporary art. Out of this commitment several projects have been developed for the 2010 Fair.

Screening Stations The Joburg Art Fair will provide a unique opportunity for students from various tertiary institutions that specialise in video art and animation to showcase their works at the Screening Stations. Video and animation students who would not ordinarily be able to exhibit work within a conventional gallery setting will be given the opportunity to show their work at the Fair.

FUNDA Development Booth The FUNDA Community College is based in Soweto and will once again occupy the Development Booth, sponsored by Siemens. The project aims to encourage artistic development by exhibiting artworks by selected students.

The overarching theme for 2010 is “Art & Industry”. Artlogic has initiated a series of collaborations and Special Projects that reflect the international trend towards collaboration between the arts and the fabrication industries. Artlogic realises the importance of these diverse collaborations as being critical to economic and social development. The Special Project line-up, which proved to be an integral part of the 2009 Fair, has been structured around this premise.

Artist Proof Studio: Artist Proof Studio continues in its effort to provide talented but financially disadvantaged artists with the opportunity to create and sell prints within the world-class workshop setting that it is renowned for. Artlogic recognises the importance of this non-profit initiative and have included them as a Special Project for the 2010 Fair. Proceeds from sales will go towards bursaries for disadvantaged students.

Modernist booth Graham’s Fine Art Gallery has been chosen by Artlogic to present a curated Modernist show. As an aspect of the 2010 Special Projects, the gallery will be exhibiting the works of post-war South African artists, for example Walter Battiss, Ephraim Ngatane, Ezrom Legae and Irma Stern.

Artspace Mentorship Program

Grolsch Commissioned artwork

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), together with Artlogic, will facilitate a space to display the work of top students from the Artspace Mentorship Program who have drawn from the knowledge and experience of more established practitioners in the art world. GPG has featured as a secondary sponsor for the Joburg Art Fair for the second consecutive year.

The Artspace Mentorship Program provides advice and instruction to aspirant artists on how to market themselves and their work, conduct themselves within the gallery setting and gain an edge once out in the art world.

Lifestyle: As with the 2009 Fair, various lifestyle sections have been included as part of the Joburg Art Fair 2010. There will be a central Grolsch bar, a vida e caffè and a Meerlust wine lounge. Both PG Glass and PG Bison have contributed materials and design expertise to facilitate the creation of a visually exciting and contemporary space in which to enjoy art. Boekehuis, Bibioteq and Clarke’s Bookshop will occupy the Books space at the Fair and will sell the best local and international art and design books. Business Day’s Wanted magazine have been chosen to curate the Grolsch Lounge with a selection of niche furniture and interior design.

PAGE 04

Free State Bloemfontein Oliewenhuis Art Museum 28 Jan-14 March, Works by Walter Meyer (Main building) 16 Harry Smith Str., Bloemfontein T.051 447 9609

Clarens

GALLERY SHOW LISTINGS IN FREE STATE, GAUTENG AND MPUMALANGA Brodie/Stevenson 14 Jan-13 Feb, “In the Red in the Black” an exhibition by Sean Slemon comprising installation, drawing and prints.

26 Jan-13 Feb, “African scenery and animals” a solo exhibition

by Daniel Naudé.

18 Feb-20 March, Works by Michael MacGarry, who won the Standard bank Young Visual Artist for 2010.

373 Jan Smuts Ave., Johannesburg T. 011 326 0034 www.brodiestevenson.com

Everard Read Gallery Jhb Until 14 Feb, Recent works by Velaphi Mzimbu.

05 Feb-01 March, Anton van Wouw 19 March-19 April, The Great South African Nude “Group Show” 18 February– 7 March, Keith Joubert 11 March– 4 April 2010, Kerri Evans 26 March - 28 March 2010, JOBURG ART FAIR @ The

Goodman Gallery 21 Jan - 13 Feb, Minnette Vari “Parallax” 163 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg, 2193 T. 011 788 1113 www.goodman-gallery.com Project Space at Arts on Main 07 Feb - 06 March, Kudzanai Chiurai (Arts on Main Precinct, Corner Main Street and Berea Street, Downtown Johannesburg

Johan Smith Art Gallery A fine selection of paintings, ceramics, glass, bronze and other works of art.

Windmill Centre Main Street Clarens T. 058 256 1620 www.johansmith.co.za

Johannesburg Afronova 27 Nov-Feb 2010, The Summer Show.

Safe Parking- Cnr of Miriam Makeba and Gwigwi Mrwebi Str., Newton C. 083 726 5906 www.afronova.com

The Artist Proof Studio 16 Feb-27 Feb, International Print Exchange between Artist Proof Studio, Johannesburg, SA and the Printmaking Council of New Jersey, USA. Exhibition opening on Tuesday 16 Feb 16:40 for 17:00.

3 President Street, Newtown Cultural District, Johannesburg, T. 011 492 1278 apsgallery@mweb.co.za www.artistproofstudio.org.za Artspace -Jhb 03 Feb-24 Feb, “A Question of Presense” A two person show featuring painting and encaustic prints by Lesley Anne Price & Diane Mclean.

27 Feb-28 March, Works by Tanya Poole.

Chester Court, 142 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Johannesburg T. 011 880 8802 www.artspace-jhb.co.za

Str.’s, Johannesburg, 2001 T. 011 631 1889 www.standardbankgallery.co.za

Market Photo Workshop 07 Feb-25 April, The exhibition “I am not afraid” is being Exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

Market Photo Workshop 2 President Street, Newtown,Johannesburg.

T. 011 834 1444 info@marketphotoworkshop. co.za www.markettoworkshop.co.za

Pretoria

Museum Africa 25 May 2009-24 Dec 2010, l’Afrique: A Tribute to Maria Stein-Lessing and Leopold Spiegel; co-curated by Nessa Leibhammer and Natalie Knight.

121 Bree Str., Newtown, Johannesburg T. 011 833 5624 www.knightgalleries.net

Gauteng

Art on Paper 30 Jan-27 Feb, “Passing Between” including works by Nathaniel Stern and Jessica Meuninck-Ganger. A collaboration incorporating traditional printmaking and contemporary digital, video and networked art.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue and DVD. 44 Stanley Ave., Braamfontein Werf (Milpark) T. 011 726 2234 www.artonpaper.co.za

liams.

245 Main Street, Johannesburg.

Cell: 082 972 2111

Manor Gallery 6 Feb- 6 March, “Love Story” at Manor Gallery Fourways.

A mixed media exhibition, honouring the “power of love”, including paintings by top South African artists.

Norscot Manor Centre, Penguin Drive. T. 011 465 7934 gallery@wssa.org.za www.wssa.org.za

Blou Donki Art Gallery Contemporary Art, Steel Sculptures, Functional Art, Photography, Ceramics.

Windmill Centre Main Street Clarens T. 058 256 1757 www.bloudonki.co.za

Alliance Francaise of Johannesburg Gallery Gerard Sekoto 19 Jan-06 Feb, An exhibition of works by Nina Barnett, winner of the Gerard Sekoto Competition 2007.

17 Lower Park Drive, cnr of Kerry Rd., Parkview, opp. Zoo Lake T.011 646 1169 culture.jhb@alliance.org.za

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

Resolution Gallery Opening 11 Feb at 16:00, “Velocity” an exhibition of new photographic work by Paul Freinkel and Michael Smith.

142 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Johannesburg T. 011 880 4054 www.resolutiongallery.com

Daniel Naudé, Nguni bull. Kei River, Eastern Cape, 19 October 2009. To be seen at African scenery and animals a solo exhibition by Daniel Naudé until 13 February 2010, at The Brodie/Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg.

Image courtesy of Brodie/Stevenson Carol Lee Fine Art: Upstairs@ Bamboo 06 Feb-14Feb, “KZN - Artists from around Durban” featuring work by Andrew Verster, Grace Kotze, Vulindlela Nyoni, Bronwen Findlay, Pascale Chandler, Virginia MacKenny, Bronwen Vaughan-Evans, Janet Solomon, Sarah Lovejoy, Deanne Donaldson and Louise Jennings.

Bamboo centre, c/o 9th Street and Rustenburg Road, Melville.

T.011 486 0526.

CIRCA on Jellicoe From 9 Feb, “New York” work

by Angus Taylor.

2 Jellicoe Ave.T 011 788 4805 gallery@circaonjellicoe.co.za CO-OP 11 Feb-13 March, Peter Eastman “For The Term Of Their Natural Lives” 68 Juta Str., Braamfontein T. 011 023 0336 www.co-opjoburg.com David Krut Projects 17 Feb–03 Apr, William Kentridge, The ‘Nose’ Series, 2007—2010. New Etchings by William Kentridge. The prints will be launched, along with the book Nose: Thirty Etchings.

140 Jan Smuts Ave., Parkwood, Johannesburg T. 011 447 0627 www.davidkrutpublishing.com David Krut Projects, 526 West 26th St, New York, NY, 23 Feb–10 Apr: with a book signing on 27 February. genevieve@davidkrut.com T: (1) 212 255 3094

JOBURG ART FAIR @ The Sandton Convention Centre 6 Jellicoe Ave., Rosebank, Johannesburg T. 011 788 4805 www.everard-read.co.za Gallery MOMO 14 Jan-08 Feb, Group exhibition.

11 Feb-08 March, Photographic Exhibition featuring Sammy Baloji 52 7th Avenue, Parktown North, Johannesburg T. 011 327 3247 www.gallerymomo.com Gallery on the Square Jan-Feb, New Acquisitions by emerging and established South African artists including: Regi Bardavid, Paul Blomkamp, Bowan Boshier, Phillemon Hlungwani, David Koloane, Grace Kotze, John Kramer, Nelson Makamo, Colbert Mashile, Carl Roberts, Lori Schappe-Youens, and Jenny Stadler.

Shop 32 Nelson Mandela Square, Cnr. 5th & Maude Str., Sandton Central, Johannesburg.

T. 011 784 2847 www.galleryonthesquare.co.za Gertrude Posel Gallery This gallery has a permanent exhibition of traditional southern, central and West African art.

University of the Witwatersrand, Senate House, Jorissen Street, Braamfontein Tel: 011 717 1365 julia.charlton@wits.ac.za

Graham Fine Art Gallery During the month of Febuary, a selection of Impressionist and Modern South African artworks, including paintings and sculptures by Hugo Naudé, Irma Stern, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, Maggie Laubser, Maud Sumner, Gerard Sekoto, Alexis Preller, Edoardo Villa, Stanley Pinker, Cecil Skotnes and Robert Hodgins.

Shop 31, Broadacres Lifestyle centre, Cnr. Valley & Cedar Rd’s Fourways, Johannesburg.

T.011 465 9192 www.grahamsgallery.co.za Johannesburg Art Gallery 07 Feb-25 April, In celebration of the Market Photo Workshop’s 20th anniversary, the acclaimed photography exhibition “I am not afraid.” The exhibition is curated by Christine Frisinghelli and Walter Seidl to celebrate the publication of no.100 of the journal Camera Austria, which was dedicated to this exhibition.

Opens 4pm Sunday 7 February 2010, Johannesburg Art Gallery.

Panel Discussion 2pm Sunday 7 February 2010, Johannesburg Art Gallery. Panelists include Christine Frisinghelli, John Fleetwood, Khwezi Gule, Zanele Muholi and Jo Ractliffe.

King George Str., Joubert Park, Johannesburg T. 011 725 3130 khwezig@joburg.org.za www.joburg.org.za Johannesburg Arts On Main Until 13 Feb, works by Fatima Fernandes, Rodney Gosskopff, Diana Hyslop and Graeme Wil-

Rooke Gallery 11 Jan-4 March, “Chaos” paintings by Olaf Bisschoff

By Appointment, The Newtown, 37 Quinn Str., Newtown, Johannesburg T. 072 658 0762 www.rookegallery.co.za SPAZA Art Gallery Uniquely situated in a multi-cultured neighbourhood in the inner city. Exhibiting works including paintings, sketches, drawings, stone work from Lesotho, recycled works, decorated iron furniture, mosaic pieces, jewellery and lots more. As a nonprofit organisation Spaza Art gallery has a vision of providing a showcase for artists of all types from all over South Africa. Spaza Gallery is a community gallery that runs mosaic workshops, has Sunday lunches, music sessions and shows.

31 Jan- 17 Feb, “Mosaic mania” featuring the works of SPAZA mosaic artists:Derek Ismael Moses Ndlovu, TJ Twala and Eric Madi.Sculptures by Fani Matsie to be exhibited in The Sculpture Garden. BIODANZA every Sunday at 10:30 am.

19 Wilhelmina Street Troyeville T. 011 614 9354 Cell.082 494 3275 Seippel Gallery 22 Jan-13 March, “Shape Dialogues” works by Pedro Calapez.

Cnr of Fox and Berea, Johannesburg T. 011 401 1421 www.seippel-gallery.com Standard Bank Gallery 02 Feb-13 March, Works by Peter Clarke 30 March-08 May, SBYA Cnr of Simmonds & Frederick

Alette Wessels Kunskamer Exhibition of Old Masters and selected leading contemporary artists.

Maroelana Centre, Maroelana.

GPS : S25º 46.748 EO28º 15.615 T. 012 346 0728 C. 084 589 0711 www.artwessels.co.za Gallery Michael Heyns 27 Feb-20 March, Etchings and paintings by Pretoria artist Mimi van der Merwe.

351 Lynnwood Road Menlo Park Pretoria T.012 460 3698, Cell.082 451 5584 www.michaelheyns.co.za Platform on 18th 11 Feb-27 Feb, “Fortitude” including works by Gordon Froud, Vusi Beauchamp, Pluto Panoussis and Roark o’ Roark.

232 18th Str., Rietondale, Pretoria T. 084 764 4258 www.platformon18th.co.za Pretoria Art Museum 12 Oct 2009 - 28 Feb 2010, The Pelmama Permanent Art Collection.

North Gallery and Preiss Hall, T.012 344 1807/8 www.pretoriaartmuseum.co.za Pretoria Trent Gallery Until 17 Feb, An exhibition of Print artworks by Gunther van der Reis, Diek Grobler, Annette Pretorius, Retha Buitendach, Fred Clarke, MJ Lourens, Marinda du Toit and many more.

198 Long Street, Waterkloof, Pretoria. strent@oldmutual.com The Tina Skukan Gallery Until 12 Feb, Glass, cement and clay works by Tineke Meijer and Henriette Ngako.

14 Feb- 11 March, sculptures by a young Shona sculptor from Zimbabwe-Felix Mlungisi 6 Koedoeberg Rd, Faerie Glen, Pretoria. www.tinaskukangallery.co.za UNISA Art Gallery 30 Jan- 28 Feb, Student Exhibition.

Main Campus, Theo Van Wijk Building B-block, 5th Floor T.012 429-6255/6823. hattif@unisa.ac.za

Mpumalanga White River The Loop Art Foundry & Sculpture Gallery Casterbridge Complex Corner R40 and Numbi Roads White River T. 013 751 2435 www.tlafoundry.co.za The Artists Press 1 Dec 2009- 28 Feb 2010, Limited edition art works from Art South Africa Waterfield Farm, Near White River, Mpumalanga, T.013 751 3225 mark@artistpress.co.za www.artistpress.co.za

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

ALEX DODD’S COLUMN

Page 05

Nguni cow roadkill first day. Nguni cow roadkill 2 days later. To be seen at African scenery and animals a solo exhibition by Daniel Naudé until 13 February 2010, at The Brodie/Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg.

Alex Dodd Art Pig At last I have been able to view Daniel Naudé’s extraordinary photographs for real. I was instantly struck by his almost hyper-real images of dogs from the very first moment I saw them in a magazine some months ago. At the time, I was going through an inner debate about Pieter Hugo’s cult Hyena Men series, struggling to understand how people could so glibly overlook the cruel and brutal dominion over animals so apparent in these images in favour of their exotic and savage appeal. Observing the circulation of this series in the public domain, it seemed that if ever there was a documentary impulse to draw attention to the plight of these chained and muzzled creatures, it was subsumed in the reception by aesthetic pleasure in the wild oddity of their circumstance.

I was troubled by the ethics of authorship at play in these pho-

tographs, questioning whether the photographer played a role in condoning the cruelty on display, which seemed to be received in the salons of 21st century New York with the kind of clamouring cult status I imagine radiated around Sara Baartman, ‘The Hottentot Venus’, on the freak show circuits of Paris back in the 19th century. Yes, they are hyenas and monkeys, and she was a human being, but what makes human suffering so much more abhorrent than that of animals?

Why are our consciences that much more shut down to the sufferings non-human others?

As someone who views animal rights as being part of the same continuum as human rights, I have a lot of time for posthumanist criticism, a major European continental philosophy of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, which questions the assumptions of Renaissance humanist philosophy and seeks to enact a re-writing of what

is generally conceived of as human. Based on the limitations and fallibility of human intelligence, posthumanist theorists hold that humans have no inherent rights to destroy nature or set themselves above it in ethical considerations a priori.

But this is not a very trendy perspective in a country where wanton animal slaughter is still widely practiced as an unquestioned traditional rite and meat eating is approached with the same kind of macho ardour as a definitive Tri-Nations scrum. So I admit that when I finally got to see Naudé’s photographs, not as small reproductions in a magazine, but in gloriously nuanced colour and at their intended sizes, my response was not merely aesthetic.

Taking in African Scenery & Animals, his first solo at Brodie/Stevenson Gallery this week, I felt lifted by the rare

sense of kinship or solidarity I experienced in this young photographer’s relationship with his animal subjects. Each creature – from a tethered donkey, to a white mule in the hills of Mlungwana in the Eastern Cape, to an Nguni bull having a pee, or an Africanis dog with its tail between its legs – is photographed as an individual sensate being, facing complex environmental challenges.

I feared, when I first viewed Naudé’s arresting images of Africanis dogs, that there might be a danger of romanticisation at play – of depicting them as beautiful, unknowable, majestic creatures. But this exhibition operates in a far more critical and complex manner, that reminded me of Wendy Woodward’s book The Animal Gaze: Animal subjectivities in southern African narratives, in which she explores the writings of JM Coetzee, Olive Schreiner, Zakes Mda, Eugene Marais, Yvonne Vera and others who

represent animals as richly individual subjects. In these texts horses, birds, lions, leopards, baboons… experience complex emotions and have agency, intentionality and morality, as well as an ability to recognise and fear death. ‘When animals are acknowledged as subjects in this way,’ writes Woodward, ‘then the animal gaze and the human response encapsulate an interspecies communication of kinship, rather than confirming a human sense of superiority.’

Similarly, in Naude’s photographs you encounter the individual presence and complicated sentience of each creature.

Their postures and gazes seem to inhabit fear, alertness, stoicism… vocabularies of feeling not entirely beyond our grasp.

Then there are the challenging environments in which these creatures find themselves – the dry stony Karoo earth the Nguni goat has to contend with in order to survive, but,

even more unsettling, the degraded peri-urban outskirts of Umtata… A feral brak looks up from the decomposing carcass of an Nguni bull left to rot at the side of a road, not far from an uneven and unfinished housing development. In a similar vein, the sublime arc of a rainbow illuminates the sky over a Northern Cape landscape, but the idyll is punctured by a discarded Lays chip packet in the foreground.

Naude’s images are far from a wilderness romance. This is nature interrupted and broken.

The equation of power and value determined by the genetic inheritance of each creature and the eroded circumstances in which they find themselves leaves one feeling that perhaps their lives are not so different from ours after all. The perpetual negotiation of limitation in the interests of survival is something we seem to share.

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If your Gallery can’t make it to South Africa’s premier art fair, Advertise here for the best visual arts exposure available.

Call Eugene at 021 424 7732 or E-mail sales@arttimes.co.za Our very reasonable advertising rates are on our website at www.arttimes.co.za

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Eastern Cape East London Ann Bryant Gallery The Coach House 04 Feb-20 Feb, East London Fine Art Society Young Emerging Artists Competition.

17 February at 6:00 p.m, Bruce Gardener piano recital evening.

25 February – 13 March, Friends of the An Bryant Mosaic Exhibition.

The Main Gallery 18 March- 02 April, ABSA Atelier Art Competition Regional Selection (works in 01-05 March, judging 15 March.)

9 St. Marks Rd, Southernwood, East London. T. 043 722 4044 annbryan@intekom.co.za www.annbryant.co.za

Port Elizabeth Alliance Francaise 6 Feb-31 Feb, Paintings by French artist Bea and photographs by Retha Ferguson.

17 Mackay Str.Richmond Hill T.041 585 7889 Montage Gallery Jan- Feb, An exhibition of various paintings by Anton Brink, Derrick Erasmus, Jackie Griffen-Jones, also featuring ceramics by Lynnley Watson and Donvé Branch.

From 09 March, An exhibition of oil paintings by Hannes Meintjes.

59 Main Rd., Walmer, Nelson Mandela Bay T. 041 581 2893 www.montagegallery.co.za Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Until end of April, “Animals in art” various artists, various mediums. Part of the Gallery’s collection. Permanent exhibition, “Art in Mind” 1 Park Drive, Port Elizabeth.

T. 041 506 2000. www.artmuseum.co.za

Northern Cape Kimberley William Humphreys Art Gallery 10 Feb- 17 Feb, “ELC Arts and Crafts centre Rorke’s Drift Kwazulu Natal.” Works including ceramics, hand-printed fabrics and accessories.

11 March, A selection of Leigh Voigt’s work will be on exhibition.

Civic Centre, Cullinan Crescent, Kimberley. T. 053 831 1724 artmuseum@whag.co.za www.whag.co.za

Western Cape Cape Town 34 Long 16 March- 17 April, Random Graphics from Private Collections – William Kentridge.

Exhibition to be held at 34 FineArt, Buchannan Square, Woodstock.

T. 021 426 4594 www.34long.com Alliance Française 25 Feb-18 April, An exhibition of oil paintings by Pierre Florenchie

SHOW LISTINGS FOR EASTERN CAPE, NORTHERN CAPE AND WESTERN CAPE 155 Loop Str., Cape Town.

T. 021 4235699 www.alliance.org.za Atlantic Art Gallery A permanent display showcasing leading contemporary South African artists.

25 Wale Street, Cape Town.

T. 021 423 5775 AVA Until 05 Feb, ‘Greatest Hits 2009’ 08 Feb -05 March “The Window” Paintings by Ndikhumbule Ngqinambi’s and works by Max Wolpe and Angela Briggs.

8 March-31 March , “Waters-Vestia-Amanzi” featuring work by Kristiina Korpela, Jill Trappler, Leena Mäki-Patola, Witty Nyide, Jaana Partanen and Eunice Geustyn.

06 April- 30 April, Karin Lijnes, Gretchen Van Der Byl and Igshaan Adams.

Association for Visual Arts, 35 Church Street, Cape Town, 8001.

T.021 424 7436 art@ava.co.za www.ava.co.za Belville Association of Visual Arts - Art b.

17 March – 07 April, 25th ABSA L’Atelier Regional Competition Exhibition.

The Arts Association of Belville, The Library centre,Carel van Aswegan Street, Belville.

T. 021 918 2301 info@artb.co.za www.artb.co.za/gallery.htm Blank Projects 21 Jan- 26 Feb, James Web “One day all of this will be yours” documentary film and other selected works created by the artist.

113-115 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town.

T.072 1989 221 blankprojects@gmail.com www.blankprojects.com Cape Gallery 24 Jan-13 Feb, Pastels and Oils

by Veronica Reid and Acrylic Paintings by Geoff Price.

60 Church Str., Cape Town T. 021 423 5309 www.capegallery.co.za Carmel Art Dealers in Fine art, exclusive distributers of Pieter van der Westhuizen etchings.

Corner: 66 Vineyard Rd., and Cavendish Str., Claremont T.021 671 6601 Constantia Village Shopping Centre, Main Rd., Constantia T. 021 794 6262 Christopher MǾller Art Dealers in South African contemporary art and South African masters.

82 Church Str., Cape Town T. 021 439 3517 www.christophermollerart.co.za David Porter Antiques Buyers and sellers of South African art.

T. 021 6830580/083 452 5862 david@davidporterantiques.com Erdmann Contemporary /Photographers Gallery 03 Feb-27 Feb, “The Family safe” A solo exhibition of photographs by Erik Chevalier.

63 Shortmarket Str., Cape Town T. 021 422 2762 www.erdmanncontemporary.co.za

Everard Read Gallery Cape Town 18 Feb-04 March, A series of new works by Penelope Stutterheime.

3 Portswood Rd., V&A Waterfront T. 021 418 4527 www.everard-read-capetown. co.za G2 Gallery on the Square Art Currently exhibiting a variety of new acquisitions by emerging and established South African artists, including: Regi Bardavid, Paul Blomkamp, Bowan Boshier, Phillemon Hlungwani, David Koloane, Grace Kotze, John Kramer, Nelson Makamo, Colbert Mashile, Carl Roberts, Lori Schappe-Youens, and Jenny Stadler.

61 Shortmarket Str. between Loop Str. and Bree Str. T. 021 424 7169 di@g2art.co.za www.g2art.co.za Gallery F Contemporary and archival South African Art. 221 Long Str., Cape Town T. 021 422 5246 www.galleryf.co.za Gill Allderman Gallery Until 13 Feb, Gill Cowen, Sue Greeff, Donna McKellar, Trudi McPherson, Marcelle Sprong with photographs by Sam Sterley.

27 Jan – 25 Feb, Paintings by artist Pincus Catzel.

278 Main Rd, Kenilworth T. 083 556 2540 gallery@new.co.za www.alldermangallery.com Goodman Gallery, Cape 21 January - 13 Feb, “The Marks we make” a collection of drawings by various artists.

3rd Floor, Fairweather House, 176 Sir Lowry Rd., Woodstock, Cape Town T. 021 462 7573/4, www.goodmangallerycape.com Infecting The City The Spier Public Arts Festival(ITC) 13 Feb- 20 Feb, Begun in 2008, INFECTING THE CITY (ITC) is a festival of provocative new sitespecific national and international performance and public art works. Presented by The Africa Centre, ITC is curated by Brett Bailey. ITC 2010 takes place from 13-20 February 2010, turning the Cape Town CBD into an edgy theatre venue to exhibit diverse, thought-provoking, wellcrafted performance works; innovative audience interventions and meaningful installations.

The theme of Infecting the City 2010 is ‘HUMAN RITE’.The Festival is presented by the “Africa Centre”, and is principally funded by “Spier”.

Cape Town CBD, T. 021 4420468 www.infectingthecity.com iArt Gallery 03-18 Feb Oil Paintings by Gina Heyer, this exhibition entitled “Threshold” is concerned with subtle metaphysical and uncanny aspects of seemingly ordinary and unoccupied interiors.

71 Loop Street, Gardens, Cape Town T.021 424 5150 info@iart.co.za www.iart.co.za iArt Gallery Wembley 27 Jan - 24 Feb Colijn Strydom: Poppies in October - a collection

of drawings by Colijn Strydom, inspired by the artist’s obsessive response to Sylvia Plath’s poem, “Poppies in October”.

Wembley Square, Gardens, Cape Town T. 021 424 5150 www.iart.co.za

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

speaker Nicolaas Maritz.

1st Floor, Olympia Buildings, 136 Main Rd, Kalk Bay. T.021 788 6571 kbmodern@iafrica.com www.kalkbaymodern.com

Colijn Strydom: Poppies in October - to be seen at iArt Gallery Wembley until 24 February. See www.iart.co.za for details Infin Art Gallery A gallery of work by local artists.

Wolfe Street, Chelsea, Wynberg T. 021 761 2816 and Buitengracht Str. Cape Town T. 021 423 2090 www.infinart.co.za Irma Stern Gallery 16 Feb- 06 March, works by Olivier Scholinck.

Cecil Rd, Rosebank, Cape Town.

T. 021 685 5686 www.irmastern.co.za Iziko South African National Gallery 12 Dec-28 Feb 2010, “Dada South?”, South African artworks from the 1960’s to the present are exhibited alongside a collection of artworks and publications by historical Dada artists.

Until 28 February: Alexis Preller: Africa, the Sun and Shadows’ - a retrospective exhibition, it showcases the work of Alexis Preller (1911-1975) 26 Nov-28 Feb 2010, “Strengths and Convictions: The Life and Times of the South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureates”, films, photographs and contemporary works of art by South African and international artists.

Government Ave., Company’s Garden T. 021 467 4660, www.iziko.org.za Iziko Museums of Cape Town 09 Dec-13 March 2010, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009, an international showcase for the very best photography featuring natural subjects For further info contact Esther Esmyol T. 021 464 1262 eesmyol@iziko.org.za João Ferreira Gallery 13 Jan-13 Feb, “Who am I ? – Transgressions” photographs by Gordon Clark and Leon Botha.

This body of work is a collaborative and artistic adventure for two artists, two strangers, two very different people, who, in the meeting of spirit, beyond the parody of flesh, discover a commonality.

70 Loop Str., Cape Town, T. 021 423 5403 www.joaoferreiragallery.com Kalk Bay Modern 24 Feb-31 March, “San art” An exhibition of paintings, sculptures, lino prints and beaded embroideries. Representing San communities from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Opening Wed 24 Feb at 6pm with

Kunshouse 21 Jan-13 Feb, Sculpture by Uwe Pfaff 16 Feb- 20 March,“The Summer show 2010” latest works by resident artists 62 Kloof St, Gardens, Cape Town 8001 T: +27 (0)21 422 1255 www.kunsthouse.co.za Lindy van Niekerk Art Gallery Exhibition of SA’s leading artists.

31 Kommandeur Rd, Welgemoed, Belville T. 021 913 7204/5 www.artpro.co.za Michael Stevenson Contemporary 21 Jan-06 March 2010, Mixed media works by Steven Cohen and paintings by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Also on exhibition is “Black & White Hemisphere”, an installation by Thomas Hirschhorn as part of the FOREX series.

From 11 March: Solo shows by Ângela Ferreira and Natasja Kensmil. Walid Raad will exhibit concurrently as part of the FOREX project series.

Ground Floor, Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Rd, Cape Town T. 021 462 1500 www.michaelstevenson.com Montebello Design studio 23 Jan–03 Apr: David Krut Prints and Books , William Kentridge, The ‘Nose’ Series, 2007—2010. New Etchings by William Kentridge. The prints will be exhibited, along with the book Nose: Thirty Etchings.

Montebello Design Centre, 31 Newlands Ave, Cape Town alastair@davidkrut.com T: 021 685 0676 Raw Vision Gallery 11 Feb - 14 Sep 2010, “African Odyssey” 20 Internationally acclaimed photographers exhibiting.

89 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, info@rawvisiongallery.com www.rawvisiongallery.com Rose Korber 7 Dec-28 Feb, “Annual Summer Salon”, provides a serious overview of recent paintings, original prints, photography, sculpture, ceramics and contemporary Shangaan beadwork by more than 50 leading and emerging Contemporary South African artists.

Febuary “Artist of the month”

works by Matthew Britton 48 Sedgemoor Rd, Camps Bay, Cape Town T. 021 438 9152 roskorb@icon.co.za www.rosekorberart.com Rust-en-Vrede Gallery 23 Feb-18 March, Portraits in Mixed media by Fanie Marais, paintings by Shui-lyn White and mosaic portraits by Marianne Burger.

23 March-15 April, “In Translation” a body of new work in mixed media by Theo Paul Vorster. Paintings by Tania Rosenbroch.

10 Wellington Rd, Durbanville.

T.021 976 4692 www.rust-en-vrede.com

Salon91 Contemporary 20 Jan-20 Feb 2010, “Spookasem”, a group exhibition of works by female artists from a range of creative backgrounds, across various media (fine art, street art, illustration).

Female artists such as Abigail Heyneke, Carmen Ziervogel, Ceri Muller, Emma Cook and Jade Klara will be exhibiting.

91 Kloof Str., Gardens, Cape Town 021 424 6930 www.salon91art.co.za South African Museum 25 Jul-Mar 2010, “Subtle Thresholds, the representational taxonomies of disease”, a mixed media show curated by Fritha Langerman.

25 Queen Victoria Str., Cape Town T. 021 481 3800 http://www.iziko.org.za/sam South Gallery Showcasing creativity from Kwa-Zulu Natal including Ardmore Ceramic Art. Fairweather House, 176 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, Ground Floor. T. 021 465 4672 info@southgallery.co.za The South African Print Gallery Until 07 Feb, Selected works from the gallery’s collection.

107 Sir Lowry Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town, T. 021 462 6851 info@printgallery.co.za www.printgallery.co.za These Four Walls Fine Art From 5 Feb, ‘on the Rhodes’ Some two decades on this exhibition gathers together a generation of artists schooled in the Department of Fine Art at Grahamstown’s Rhodes University in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Artists exhibiting are Cathy Layzell, Anthony Struik, Ben Coutouvidis, Herman Niebuhr, Diana Page, Jane Henderson, Jeremy Franklin, Larissa Hollis, Bretten Ann Moolman, Cindy Britz, Mary Visser, Janet Anderson, Tom Gubb, Ian Garrett, Carl Becker, Kerri Evans, Richard MatherPike, Carl Schonland, John Hodgkiss and Mary Slater.

169 Lower Main Road, Observatory janet@thesefourwalls T. 021 447 7393 www.thesefourwalls.co.za UCA Gallery Until 28 Feb, “Pigment on paper” featuring Michael Taylor, Nicola Grobler, Ilene Jacobs, Adrienne van Eeden and Jacqui Stetcher 49 Lower Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town.

T. 021 447 4132 www.urbancontemporaryart.co.za

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010 What if the World…

3 Feb-27 March, “Paradise Apparatus”, a new solo exhibition by Cape Town artist Julia Rosa Clark. This show concludes a trilogy that included the acclaimed Hypocrite’s Lament (2006) & Fever Jubilee (2007/8). F irst floor, 208 Albert Rd, Woodstock, T.021448 1438 www.whatiftheworld.com Worldart 13 Feb-1 March, Exhibition of work by Arlene Amaler-Raviv.

54 Church Street Cape Town CBD T. 021 423 3075 www.worldart.co.za

Franschhoek

Galerie L’ Art A permanent exhibition of old masters.

Shop no 3, The Ivy, Kruger Str., Franschhoek T. 021 876 2497 www.galart.co.za

swai and Conrad Botes.

52 Ryneveld Str., Stellenbosch T. 021 808 3029 SMAC Art Gallery 06 Dec-25 Feb 2010, A retrospective exhibition by Erik Laubscher De Wet Centre, Church Street, Stellenbosch T. 021 887 3607 www.smacgallery.com

George Strydom Gallery Internationally known for cross-section of SA artists 21 Nov 2009-28 Feb 2010, GEORGE 41, Strydom Gallery’s 41st summer exhibition of South African art-a cross-section of selected works.

The exhibition will be opened

by Jan Coetzee, professor of sociology at Rhodes University.

1 June-17 July 2010, “Drawing conclusions?”

79 Market Str., George

WC GALLERY LISTINGS | MELVYN MINNAAR’S COLUMN

Page 07

T. 044 874 4027 www.artaffair.co.za A wide selection of paintings, drawings, graphic art, photographs and sculptures by leading South African artists.

Hermanus Abalone Gallery 2 Harbour Rd, The Courtyard, Hermanus. T.028 313 2935 www.abalonegallery.co.za

Melvyn Minnaar

l’Agulhas Red Corridor Gallery Sculpture by Rudi Neuland, paintings by Leszek Skurski and textile objects by Joanna Skurska.

4 Main Rd, L’Agulhas 7287 T. 028 435 7503 info@capeagulhas-arthouse. com www.capeagulhas-arthouse.com www.redcorridor-RSA.com

Paarl Hout Street Gallery 10 Dec-28 Feb 2010, “Summer Salon” The exhibition features a range of South African Paintings, Ceramics and Sculptures and includes works from more than thirty established and emerging artists.

270 Main Str., Paarl zetler@icon.co.za www.houtstreetgallery.co.za

Idille, Joan and Terliana of Framed Master Guilders, Woodstock

The Artful Viewer

Stellenbosch

In-between Art

Art on 5 Permanent exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Maryna de Witt, Pera Schillings, and Karen Kieviet.

7b Andringa Str., Stellenbosch T. 021 887 7234 Dorp Straat Galery 6 Feb-28 Feb, “Shorelines” an exhibition of paintings by Nora Newton Church Str., Stellenbosch T. 021 887 2256 www.dorpstraatgalery.co.za Glen Carlou Estate On exhibition is The Hess Art Collection, including works by Deryck Healey, Ouattara Watts and Andy Goldsworthy.

Simondium Rd, Klapmuts T. 021 875 5314 www.glencarlou.co.za

One needs a peak behind the workshop door of a place like Idille Kellerman and partners’ Framed to see what goes around as ‘art’ these days - at least the kind that gets or requires a frame. (Framed in Woodstock, is one of the Mother City’s master framing outfits, around the corner from the heavy and light-weights in the picture business.)

Crazy Eyes from Julia Rosa Clark.’s, “Paradise Apparatus” to be seen at Whatiftheworld Gallery until 27 March. See more at www.whatiftheworld.com

Red Black and White 12 Feb-27 Feb, A selection of works by Johannes du Plessis and Marika Bell.

Opening 11 Feb at 19:00.

5a Distillery Rd, Bosman’s Crossing, Stellenbosch.

T. 021 886 6281 www.redblackandwhite.co.za Sasol Art Museum 20 Jan-24 Feb, “Rendezvous focus original lithography 2009/2011” Prints by South African and French artists.

Other artists work on exhibition includes: Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Yves Klein, Wassily Kandinsky and other established South African artists including William Kentridge, Diane Victor, Judith Mason, Hanneke Benade, Tommy Mot-

Judging from the stuff that awaits attention in that workshop, it’s truly and literally a range from the ridiculous to the sublime. (I suppose, to stay in business - which I’m sure is booming - service-providers like these get to see and handle, with stiff upper-lip, the gamut of ‘creativity’ that needs a frame.) How much ego is tied to that (expensive) mount and glass will make an interesting, off-beat psychological study.

There’s certainly a great deal of psychology at work, market-promo style, also in the latest glossy catalogue from Stephan Welz & Co. These ‘Auctioneers of Decorative & Fine Arts’ are having their first Cape Town sale of the year this month (February 23). The collection of pictures, finely photographed, on offer struck me as on par with the range in the framing shop’s workroom: varying from the silly to the serious. And quite a few inbetween.

Top: Tom Gubb ‘James’mountain’ (detail) Richard Mather-Pike charcoal drawing to be seen at These Four Walls Fine Art From 5 Feb, ‘on the Rhodes’ . See more at: www.thesefourwalls.co.za

It’s that ‘in-between’ that makes interesting contemplation. (I suppose one can also see it as the grey area between what that well-known auction house consider to be ‘decorative’ and ‘fine’; the former

being good enough to add to the home decor, the latter, well, serious enough for an art museum. The so-so pictures.)

Since everyone had become, or can claim to be, an artist, the extend of art production and the scope of the industry have certainly become an increasingly puzzling place for most ordinary people.

Yet, art has a growing attraction and fascination for average citizens. (We’re not talking here about the ultra rich who have hijacked art for their own reasons.) People are intrigued by art and professional museums that present it like a delightful circus experience.

This is art with a capital A. On the other end, there is art that may not even be that: pictures on home walls.

People like to hang pictures in their homes and offices. (A curious thing this, even cave persons seemed to have liked it; mogols have to have it in their boardrooms. This too would make an interesting social/psychological study.)

Obviously, very few of us have the money to pay for masterpieces in our sitting rooms. It doesn’t mean that there can’t be nice things hanging above the mantelpiece.

This is the area that can be claimed for ‘in-between art’: good stuff, finely crafted, and eye-catching with a tad of thoughtfulness that goes beyond the surface attraction.

These are pictures of things that need not change your way of life, but might just provide a little cerebral lift or an emotional frizz. Graphics and prints can be useful, but paintings

(and even sculpture) too have their place. None need to be art spelled with a capital, nor have had bank-breaking prices or famous artist signatures.

Let’s call it sensible art for the sensitive.

It is within this space, in a manner of speaking, that art galleries which don’t aspire to, what Linda Stupart so cleverly calls, ‘McMuseum’-style dealerships, trade and provide a service. Cape Town has quite a few of these - gallerists, slightly below the radar, selling good stuff to ordinary people who likes art by artists who will never be in the Museum of Modern Art. Although one must always tread carefully among the pretentious and the kitsch (of which, heaven helps, there is an awful lot), and, of course, cunning dealers’ sweet talk, the ‘in-between art’ world can deliver visual treasures for the home.

Places like Gail Dorje’s The Cape Gallery (a current exhibition features pictures by Veronica Reid and paintings by Geoff Price), and Riva Cohen’s Atlantic Gallery (always a lovely selection) have been very effective in this business with many years of expertise and fine eyes for good work. A younger dealer like Christopher Möller (Henk Serfontein paintings are on view at his space at present) has the passion to play a meaningful role in this as well.

The picture on your wall doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. But it need not be nonsense either. Try a little in-between art.

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

KZ- NATAL LISTINGS | PETER MACHEN’S COLUMN

Page 08

Durban

Peter Machen

The Art Cowboy

Dad, mom and the yawning chasm.

Every year, the effective holiday that Durbanites collectively take seems to get longer and longer, starting around the end of November and ending, this year, around the last week of January. It’s not that everyone is still on holiday – that would be lovely – but they’re just not really back at work. This year, perhaps because of the approach of a brand new decade, the whole world cup thing, and the fact that most of our summer was replaced by something more closely resembling a subtropical winter, Durbanites seemed even less ardent about the prospect of getting up-andrunning than usual.

And then suddenly it’s all ago and everything happens at once and even the art calendar gets in on the action.

2010 began, in art terms, at ArtSpace Durban, where Anet Norval was extending the highly personalised narrative that is her body of work and Makiwa Mutomba was showing another collection of his remarkably precise impressionist portraits, this time of African woman.

‘Precise impressionist’ might seem oxymoronic to some but Mutomba’s paintings, imbued with his highly distinctive

style, gets the body language and expressions just right with strokes that are almost brutal and there is something uncanny about the resulting portraits; at once both highly modernist and imbued with the spirit of their subjects, or at least seem ingly so. Mutomba’s portraits are also refreshing set against the treatment which African women so often receive on canvas in which they are reduced to a platonic form; objectified into archetype. Matumba’s women are alive and as unique as snowflakes.

For the past few years Anet Norval has been detailing her interior life, resulting in canvases that are oblique in their meaning even as they are deeply personal. Much of this narrative has concerned her relationship with her father and an exploration of her own gender construction. With ‘epilogue/naskrif’, she moves in to new territory – and smaller canvases – as she deals both with the break-up of a

long-term relationship and the decision to remove her father’s presence from her work (he’s still present in this body of work, but he’s on his way out).

Norval is fine with her breakup but I’d love to be a fly on the wall if and when her former partner surveys the exhibition with its pointed title and exploration of romantic aftermath.

Her father, by all accounts, is

unlikely to see the show.

At the KZNSA the next night, another family relationship had made its ways onto the gallery walls. Adrian Hermanides, an ex-Durbanite now resident in Berlin, presented a small body of work that constituted part of a larger project entitled ‘Judith Oscillations’. The title is a reference to an abberation in his mother’s brainwaves known as an essential tremor and the work explores the altered consciousness presented by the condition. Using photography, found materials and ink drops stretched and pulled into infinitely detailed landscapes, the work had a shimmering deftness to it, mostly absent from the bulk of work that Hermanides presented at the gallery two nights later in a selection of video work from around the planet.

The first film Berlin Mauer was the exception, a fascinating and genuinely moving account of two women who are both – in all seriousness – in love with the Berlin Wall. The women assign their love to the spiritual philosophy of animism which suggests that objects have souls and are in fact alive; their love for the wall might be the result of a psychological condition, or represent a genuinely alternative sexual mode, depending on who you talk to. The women’s

right to claim the status of art, I’m equally entitled to yawn each time it does. This may or may not have been the point of one of the works on show, which stitched together acres of found footage, including some not very attractive shots of a not very attractive boy masturbating, but by the end, I really didn’t care. I was just glad it was over.

A yawn for some is an offence for others however, and at the point at which the erect penis appeared about half of the very small crowd got-up-and-left.

Maybe they had to be somewhere, maybe they took it as a sign of the banality still to come, or maybe their passions were aroused and they fled home to satisfy them (although I doubt it ). But while I suspect that I’m personally immune to art shock – and at the same time feel that people shouldn’t be so offended by genitals and so unoffended by the gross horrors of life on earth – I feel their pain a little. Human genitals as an expression of shock-stroke-banality too often leads down a wormhole of meaningless. Of course, it can also lead to works of brilliance but transgression does not nec essarily avant-garde art make.

Although it does point to the deep schism in the avant-garde – that the work tends to

mutual love for the wall represented something of a problem initially (they met over the internet) since jealousy knows no sexual boundaries but they resolved this conflict when they realised that one was love in the wall before it fell and the other with its post-1989 form.

But where the video work Berlin Mauer was engaging and functioned fully both as film and as fine art, the rest of the work showcased did neither with any degree of conviction or persuasion and ending up feeling like a bad night on youtube. I’m all for presenting anything as art but the presentation is not enough, you’ve got to try to make it work. We live in a world where more people than ever before are pointing cameras at more things than ever before and, while all of that output has the

be either sublime or rubbish and it’s not always clear that the creators know the difference. The same is true of avant-garde writers – so often referenced by their visual counterparts – and the beatniks in particular, whose works so clearly figure in the collective narrative from which Hermanides has emerged and to which he is adding. And it’s true that I might read through the more turgid passages of a Jack Kerouac novel for the occasional stretches where his writing turns to transcendental gold, but it doesn’t work as easily with visual art. Like most forms of expression, art is based in part on good editing.

Of course, this isn’t always true, but it’s not a bad rule of thumb...  For more on Berlinmauer, see www.berlinmauer.se.

Artisan Contemporary 17 Feb-15 March, “Trees, Space & Light” Lecturer, author, painter and ceramicist Susan Sellschop will be showing her paintings, drawings and pots.

Exhibition will be opened by arts co-ordinator and marketing manager of the Artist Proof Studios in Johannesburg, Cara Walters.

344 Florida Road, Morningside, Durban 4001.T 031 312 4364 Email: sue@artisan.co.za www.artisan.co.za ArtSPACE Durban 15 Feb-06 March, 12 artists/12 works (The Main Gallery), “Silently Singing” works by Ellis Pearson ( The Middle Gallery), “An Exploration of the Southern African Geography” - Video (Front Room) 15 -27 march, ABSA L’Atelier Art Award 2010 – KZN Regional exhibition (The Main Gallery) 3 Millar Road, Stamford Hill, Durban.T.031 312 0793 info@artspace-durban.com www.artspace-durban.com Elizabeth Gordon Gallery A variety of new South African artworks, including paintings by Hugh Mbayiwa, Nora Newton and Hussein Salim.

120 Florida Rd., Durban T. 031 303 8133 eqqart@iafrica.com www.elizabethgordon.co.za KZNSA Gallery 26 Jan-20 Feb, “On-line” an exhibition presenting members with an opportunity to produce and exhibit artwork according to a theme.

26 Jan-20 Feb, Adrian Hermanides presents “Judith Oscillations”, a body of work consisting of prints, photographs, sculptures and text. The exhibition is accompanied by a number of public events. At the

film screenings on 28 January and 04 February, the artist will show curated programmes of film contributions from a team of international artists including Emily Richardson, Hast Duo, James Richards, Johannes Raether, Lars Laumann, Marthe Thorshaug, Max Factory, Steve Reinke and Voin de Voin.

166 Bulwer Rd., Glenwood, T. 031 2023686, www.kznsagallery.co.za

Margate Margate Art Museum Museum’s art collection on display.

T.039 312 8392 C.072 316 8094 huey@hcm.gov.za

Pietermaritzburg The Blue Caterpillar Art gallery 30 Jan-28 Feb, Oil and acrylic works on canvas of landscapes, still life, portraits and African abstract by Shirley Howells.

37 Willowton Road, Pietermaritzburg T. 033 3871356 art@butterflies.co.za www.butterflies.co.za Tatham Art Gallery 27 Oct 2009-14 March 2010, The Schreiner Gallery New Acquisitions Exhibition, including a linoprint by Vuli Nyoni, and a rolling ball sculpture by Zotha Shange.

09 July 2009-21 Feb 2010, The Heath Family Retrospective Exhibition, mixed media works by the Heath family.

Cnr of Chief Albert Luthuli (Commercial) Rd. and Church Str. (Opposite City Hall) Pietermaritzburg T. 033 342 1804 www.tatham.org.za

Winner of the KZNSA Members show: Paul Gossman, Inspired, 2010, Digital print on canvas, enamel paint, 140 x 55cm

Ephraim Ngatane, The Beggar, 1969, Oil on board, 75x59cm. Collection: Greg Blank SBSA 40709

Ephraim Ngatane: SYMPHONY OF SOWETO Standard Bank Gallery 10 February to 13 March 2010 Monday to Friday: 8am � 4.30pm Saturday: 9am � 1pm Tel: 011 631 1889 www.standardbankgallery.co.za

Moving Forward

PAGE 10

JO-MARIE RABE’S COLUMN

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

The art of buying art Jo-Marie Rabe Have you ever looked at a frightfully unused purchase you made and asked yourself, ‘What on earth could I have been thinking when I bought this?’ There are many factors that influence what we buy, but this article will help you be somewhat rational about the different art markets and how to be sensible about purchasing art.

There are only two options to consider when buying art: the primary art market and secondary art market. The first option (the primary market) is based on the rules of connoisseurship, individual expertise and trust and most often pertains to works of art sold for the first time. The secondary market is almost purely governed by the age old system of supply and demand and mostly involves the trade of artworks that had previously been available on the primary market.

The primary art market is driven by the art seller. Gallerists, fine art consultants, art dealers and artist themselves form part of this group of vendors.

Gallerists constitute that group of dealers who sign a contact with an artist (known or unknown, contemporary or other) and promote and market his or her work. The arrangement between the gallerist and the artist

could range from one which is fairly open, the artist would be at liberty to exhibit and sell elsewhere - to one of extreme exclusivity where all artworks by the artist are handled by the gallery. In exchange for the exclusive rights of selling an artist work, the gallery would act as representative for that artist – staging and organizing regular local and international exhibitions, managing the artist’s media profile etc.

The art consultant also acts as an agent, but unlike the gallerist, would often not have a gallery of their own. They also tend to act on behalf of a client wanting to source art rather than the artist (who wants to sell her/his art).

Artists themselves sometimes act as their own agents – marketing their art directly to the buying public. Art routes, open studio days and especially the Internet affords them this opportunity.

The last category of art vendors, the art dealer, deals in art – that is, unlike the gallerist who tends not to “own” stock, the art dealer buys and sells art.

Even though they might, like the gallerist, represent individual artist, their primary source of income is the identification of artwork that they can make a profit from– adding value with knowledge and market savvy.

And even though their sources could include artists and col-

lectors, they often buy from auctions.

Which brings us to the second category: buying art at auction. At an auction, the final price achieved on any item on offer, be it a humble sheep, an important manor house of a piece of art, depend on the rule of supply and demand. If the demand is bigger than the supply, the item on offer will fetch a higher price.

Then there is the Internet.

The Internet is essentially a marketing tool that is used by everyone already mentioned.

Art dealers and auctioneers alike have websites to entice the potential buyer. Art auction sites abound. According to many this is a field with unimaginable potential.

So where to buy art? Everywhere, I would suggest. But buyer, beware!

Know what you want, how much you can afford to spend, what you are in for when you buy, what the potential risks and costs are and why you want to spend money on this particular commodity, because there are advantages and disadvantages to each and every one of these markets.

The advantage of buying from a vendor is that the art dealer, gallerist or art consultant has already done all the work for you. What you are paying for is an informed opinion - the experienced vendor has

a body of knowledge and a superior understanding of the current art market, they have researched the particular piece, they might even have done the required and appropriate work like restoration or re-framing.

Secondly, the price you see is the price you pay. Thirdly, buying from a reputable dealer means you have recourse. In cases where a particular work of art is proven not to be what it was presented as, dealers with a known and good reputation will take the artwork back.

But there is a premium to pay.

Art in galleries are almost always more expensive that art at auction.

Because of the high visibility of dealer-buying at auctions, here is a general perception that buying art at auction means buying art “wholesale”. This is a precarious sort of truth, a dangerous belief if you are not completely versed in the fashions and vagaries of the art and the auction worlds.

Because, where one wants to belief it or not, the auctions are expert driven – knowing what will sell, what might become highly saleable, knowing what is good and not merely mediocre of in fact “bad” is what makes for clever decision making in this market. The experienced dealer and avid collector who has had many years exposure to this system would undoubtedly benefit.

So, “Beware the bargain”.

This old adage is true. There is normally enough expertise in the market to assure that a fair price is achieved. If something sells for a bargain price, it normally means that there is something wrong with it.

The advantages of buying from an auction lies the fact that many works of art will only be available on recommendation from an auctioneer, so choice and availability play a role. And then there is the excitement - there are always a tangible energy of nerves and expectation, adding to the risk of an auction purchase, because the element that makes buying at auction so exciting is the same element that makes buying at auction so dangerous. Another disadvantage of buying from on auction is the fact that there are always extra costs involved. Almost all auction houses charges a buyer’s premium. This is added to the hammer price. When buying on auction it is important to make sure of any other “hidden” costs. Shipping and insurance costs will add to the final purchase price.

To me, buying art on the Internet is still the most controversial option. Most art buyers will concede: there is no substitute for seeing a work of art in real life. The emotional component in art, that kick in the gut response that some works

of art engender, constitute an important deciding factor when a purchase is considered. This is completely absent when art is bought on the net.

Another factor to consider when buying art of the Internet, or from a distant auction house, is the condition of the piece. In cases where a personal viewing is not possible, requesting or obtaining a condition report is an imperative.

For a well-considered view on the world of art trading, read “How to Buy and Sell Art” by the Australian art dealer and writer, Michael Reid. His frank and write-as-you-speak approach makes for an easy yet informative read.

He even dares to advise prospective buyers when and where NOT to buy art.

He advises against: buying art at night (apparently your psychological defenses are down and feeling like entertaining yourself, you might be inclined to be more impulsive), buying art while on holiday (same principle), buying art when it has a “sale” sticker stuck on it, buying art under pressure and buying art under the “opening night fever”.

Art, the author maintains, is serious business, so be serious about choosing why, when, how and who you buy art from.

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) releases ARTSTRACK Research 2009 BASA Release Arts sponsorship has more than doubled since 2001 when the arts market was estimated at around R136 million, growing to nearly R360 million in 2009. Of this, music sponsorship attracts nearly 50% of all the sponsorship spend (R173 million in 2009) with the balance going to all other arts and culture initiatives.

This being one of the key findings of ARTSTRACK research 2009 – Business and Arts South Africa’s bi-annual authoritative study on the arts and culture market in South Africa.

Conducted nationally over a period of two and a half months other key findings from ARTSTRACK 2009 are: The long-term planning of sponsors in the field of Arts and Culture is also underscored by the findings on the importance of children learning about Arts and Culture – and not just Sport. The results showed that a clear majority of those

Arts Sponsorship more than doubled since 2001 sampled would like to see their children learning equally about both – an increase from 2007’s research.

39% of consumers felt the costs of attending Arts and Culture Events (ranging from Movies to Traditional Dance, Museums, Exhibitions and Ballet) were too high – an increase in three points on 2007’s findings.

“This is, of course, coming in a year in which the economic recession hit hard but I think is something that should be looked at by sponsors and arts and culture practitioners,” Business and Arts South Africa CEO Michelle Constant commented.

Communities take notice and support sponsors that are investing in projects of value to them; and as well as sponsors uplifting and support communities. According to Constant, this supports the King Three Report, which highlights the need for corporate citizenship through CSI. In a spontaneous question that

asked respondents to name an Arts and Culture sponsor in South Africa, Standard Bank received the most mentions followed by ABSA then MTN. (The full list of 19 spontaneously-recalled sponsors is available in the research) According to sponsors themselves, the companies regarded as sponsorship leaders are Standard Bank, Absa and Nedbank.

The belief that government has a significant funding responsibility to develop and support Arts and Culture.

Music topped the list of 12 disciplines supported that included festivals, museums, theatre, movies, traditional dance, crafts, literature, sculpture/paintings/photography, opera, contemporary dance and ballet.

The biggest contribution now comes from Marketing Budgets.

The 2009 research was especially revealing in the

attitude of non-sponsors of Arts and Culture. In particular, non-sponsors gave a detailed list of their ideal sponsorship - which included a relationship in which both parties benefit equally, community upliftment, strong brand awareness, contribution to the company’s BEE scorecard, and ability to be measured.

and beyond.”

Methodology:

ARTSTRACK 2009 gives good insight into sponsorship of arts and culture in South Africa and is a powerful research tool for anyone interested in sponsorship in the Arts market in South Africa.

According to Constant, “A great deal of valuable information emerged from the research – including how culture can be used as a tool for tourism. This is particularly interesting in 2010 with the FIFA World Cup bringing so many visitors to our country.”

The consumer ARTSTRACK Research 2009 covered a wide spectrum – ranging from the frequency and types of events South African adults attend in the field of Arts and Culture to attitudes towards, and awareness of sponsors, and the role of government.

Conducted by leading South African sponsorship company, BMI, the methodology was based on consumer research amongst a total sample of 1950 adult (over 18 years) South Africans. The one-on-one, interviews took place nationally, covering individuals from South Africa’s diverse background. For specific business research, Business and Arts South African members were also surveyed as well as a number of non-Arts and Culture sponsoring companies.

“What I found interesting were the comments from business on how they believe we can make the Arts and Culture environment more attractive to sponsoring companies,” says Constant. “As Business and Arts South Africa we are already working on some of the suggestions which we hope will see an increase in Arts and Culture sponsorship in 2010

It also offers insight into the size of the Arts and Culture sponsorship market, the nature and length of contracts, budget issues, sponsorship objectives amongst other issues. Companies not involved in sponsoring Arts and Culture were also probed on other sponsor activities, sponsorship preferences and their reasons for not sponsoring Arts and Culture.

Scope:

The bi-annual Business and Arts South Africa ARTSTRACK Research is available to all members of Business and Arts South Africa.

For enquiries on the Business and Arts South Africa ARTSTRACK Research 2009 contact Beverly Reddy on 011 832 3039. For more information about Business and Arts South Africa programmes please visit www.basa.co.za.

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

Page 11

Alexis Preller: Africa, the Sun and Shadows

After a highly successful show at The Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg, this amazing show is now to be seen at The SA National Gallery, Cape Town ‘

an influential band of artists who had returned from study in either the United Kingdom or Europe, where they had absorbed new modernist trends.

The first New Group exhibition was held in 1938 in Cape Town, and included a number of other famous artists, such as Walter Battiss, Moses Kottler, Gregoire Boonzaier, Terence McCaw and Lippy Lipshitz. Although artists like Preller were condemned in the press for their modernism, the government selected New Group artists for exhibitions abroad because they were considered to be the best on the local art scene. The last New Group exhibition was held in 1953, after 16 years of activity.

Hayden Proud and Riason Naidoo at the opening of the Preller Exhibition.

Photo credit: Iziko Museums of Cape Town Photo: Carina Beyer

Preller’s vision was radically different when compared to the artistic norms of his era. This is why he is today regarded as an

Alexis Preller: Africa, the Sun and Shadows’ - a retrospective exhibition, it showcases the work of Alexis Preller (1911-1975) and is curated by Karel Nel. Accompanying the exhibition is Alexis Preller, a beautifully written and illustrated monograph on the artist by Esmé Berman and Nel, which will add considerably to current understandings of Preller and his work.

Preller portrait (on scaffold) camped in Swaziland, where he painted continuously. During this time he exhibited in Johannesburg. He joined the New Group in 1938 and was included on its first exhibition. In the following year, he travelled by car to the Congo, returning to Pretoria at the outbreak of World War II.

Preller studied in London and Paris in the 1930s, where he absorbed the language of Western modernism to the extent that a critic, who had seen his work on a 1937 group exhibition in Johannesburg, called him ‘South Africa’s Gauguin’. He was also influenced by Van Gogh and later by the frescoes of Piero della Francesca.

Modernism is a term applied to a wide range of new and innovative developments in the arts of the 20th century. All of these broke with the art traditions of the past, such as naturalism and realism, and inherited notions of perspective, tonal modelling and subject matter. Modernism refers particularly to 20th century art movements, such as Symbolism, Expressionism, Dada, Cubism and Surrealism, although the term also applies to late 19th century Post-Impressionist artists, such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne.

While critics in South Africa have labelled Preller a Surrealist, which the artist rejected, and also an Expressionist, his unconventional form of expression was impossible to classify in terms of the mainstream art movements of his time. The reason for this was that, rather than blindly following modernist trends and movements, Preller sought to use the language of modernism to express an African identity.

In searching for of an art “rooted in the Africa soil”, as he put it, Preller drew his initial inspiration from the Ndebele (Mapogga) people, who lived in the Pretoria vicinity, where he spent most of

During the War, Preller served in the Field Ambulance Corps.

Captured, he was interned in North Africa and Italy until 1943.

After his release, he continued to exhibit in Johannesburg, his work showing the influence of his war experiences. His next trip to Europe was in 1946, where he again spent time in the museums.

In the following year, the first book was published on Preller: a small collection of black-and-white reproductions entitled ‘Alexis Preller’, with notes by Christi Truter.

In 1948/1949 Preller travelled once more, this time to Zanzibar and the Seychelles, which, as with all his trips, was to prove influential on his work. At this time he also became a member of the South African branch of the International Art Club, along with the likes of other progressive artists like Walter Battiss and Irma Stern. Preller’s next trip was in 1953 – to Italy, where he studied frescoes

Christ head

important figure in the South African avant-garde movement of his time, and as an African modernist. To put it bluntly, he developed an art that was ‘out of the box’. In his Preface to Alexis Preller, the book, Clive Kelner puts it as follows: “Preller’s art can be understood to be avant-garde in so far as he broke away from conservative white society through his approbation of African culture. His own inimitable style challenged the local art establishment in what was accepted as ‘normative’ in terms of colonialism at the time.”

Preller, concludes Kelner, needs to be understood as “a postcolonial figure who identified with his time and place in iconic and ground-breaking ways.”

About Alexis Preller Born in 1911, Alexis Preller attended Pretoria Boys’ High School.

On completing his schooling, he worked as a clerk before deciding to pursue a career as an artist. Encouraged by the architect Norman Eaton, he left for London in 1934, where JH Pierneef, who was working on murals at South Africa House at the time, advised him to enroll at the Westminster School of Art. He returned to Pretoria in 1935 via the East coast of Africa, and it was also in this year that he held his first solo exhibition.

Preller visited Paris in 1937, where, unable to afford formal training, he studied in museums and galleries. On his return, he

Still Life with Crocdile his life. This places him on a path similar to that of Gauguin, one of his primary influences, who broke away from urban European culture to pursue the so-called ‘primitive’ world of the Polynesian islands. The influence of Gauguin on Preller’s work is most clearly discernible in The Feast (1946), a work made along his journey towards developing a more concrete African vision. In The Feast, there are many parallels with the European painter’s work, including structural features, the depiction of fruit, and the close-up view of so called ‘exotic’, young female figures. As is said by Berman and Nel, these figures “may be Preller’s frank admission of his debt to Paul Gauguin.”

Because of his search for an art that fused the language of modernism with a distinctly African identity, Preller was, in his time, seen as innovative and different from other artists of his era. For this reason, Walter Battiss invited him to join the New Group in 1938,

The Last of the Mapoggas

and was much influenced by the work of Piero della Francesca. On his way back, he visited Egypt, which was also to have a huge impact on his work. In 1968 he visited Greece and Turkey followed by another trip to Greece and Italy in 1970. His last visit to Europe was in 1973, travelling to Paris and Holland.

Preller’s contribution to South African art was acknowledged when he received the Molteno Award (jointly with Jean Welz) in 1953, and the Medal of Honour for Painting from the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie in 1955. He represented South Africa at the Venice Biennale on two occasions – in 1954 and 1956 – and was a featured artist at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1973. In 1972 the Pretoria Art Museum held a major retrospective exhibition of his work. The following year Esmé Berman and Edgar Bold began filming a documentary on Preller. The film was interrupted because Preller took ill, but was completed in 1974. The SABC commissioned an extended version of this documentary in 1976, which was transmitted in July 1977. Preller held his last exhibition in 1975, the year in which he died of a heart attack following surgery.

The Kraal II

Reference Berman, E and Nel, K, Alexis Preller (2009)

PAGE 12

SHOW REVIEWS

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

Gordon Clark and Leon Botha : Who am I? 2009 Lightjet on crystal archive paper. 142 X 120 cm

Who am I? Steven Cohen, Golgotha - Ground Zero #1, 2009, C-print, Photo: Marianne Greber/VBK Wien, Image courtesy of Michael Stevenson Melvyn Minnaar Exhibition: Gordon Clark and Leon Botha at the João Ferreira Gallery until February 13.

It may be a better idea, at first, to ignore the title of this impressive photographic collaboration and indulge in the theatrical verve of its result: splendidly grand tableaux that steals the gaze and tickles the mind.

Cunningly conceived, well staged and executed, and photographed and printed with high-professional skill, the exotic, sometimes slightly surreal and campy humorous visual essay Who am I? is a must see for all those reasons.

It is only when the paradoxes kick in that the fun and games of this merry-go-round become, literally, a matter of life and death. It’s when the subtext starts pushing to the surface, that the power of this project grabs you. It’s then when, as a viewer, you cannot remain the unaffected, amused, perplexed bystander. Take irony as a key to unlock the complexities of human existence.

The diminutive Leon Botha is a remarkably long-living progeria sufferer. The disease, named from the Greek for quick aging (of the human body), has altered his physical appearance in such a way that he can never be incognito in public. It’s a tough reality, but as an artist (he also paints) he confronts this head-on in this series of highly-constructed images. The strategy is a complete conversion of his reality to that of a play-actor. This, ironically, of course, has often been the case for people of his ilk: they are seen as performers and amusers for being so unusual looking.

Working with photographer Clark, who, clearly has a fine sense of what is required to

catch viewer attention (vital in the competitive and high-buzz world of fashion and advertising photography). Create drama where and when the viewer doesn’t expect it, and invent topsy-turvy visual constructs (in the style of Helmut Newton, for one) that shock and unsettle.

Printed to large format - which enhances sharply-focused detail and effect, with saturated colours teasing reality - these photographs rely on Botha’s discordant presence in stylised surroundings. In some he is dressed up, in others madeup. The best and most potent pictures are those in which this is not done.

In ‘Man’ he is simply a curious figure and shadow against the beach lavatory sign and a single seabird. The juxtaposing is delicious. In ‘Facts and Fallacies’ with the oversize egg lamp, the humour is sharp and dense, and a quiet melancholy permeates ‘Away from the World’ and it becomes Shakespearian in ‘Sitting on the Edge’.

Unlike the awkward, somewhat clichéd exhibition title, most of the pictures are shrewdly captioned. The gorgeously satirical ‘Home Maintenance’ is too clever for words.

It is in images like these, so striking in constructed visual narrative, that one returns, on contemplation, to the real life of the progeria-suffering artist and the questions around role-playing that he has to face all the time. With the illness’s deadly demands on human time, this collection of photographs is a vivid stop-and-think event. It’s also brilliant. *The João Ferreira Gallery is at 70 Loop Street. Tel 0214235403.

This Review first appeared in The Cape Times January 2010

Steven Cohen - Life is shot, art is long Lloyd Pollack

MANHATTAN REAPS THE GRAPES OF WRATH

The section of Michael Stevenson’s exhibition devoted to Steven Cohen forms a retrospective survey largely consisting of works which have been extensively discussed.

Its title, Life is shot, art is long, a play on Seneca’s dictum ars longa, vita brevis, affirms the centrality and permanence of art in the face of a radically flawed world. A concern with universal moral issues provides the impetus behind Cohen’s breathtaking new video Golgotha (2007-2009), a magnum opus that makes everything he has done hitherto, seem a mere dress-rehearsal for this, the supreme performance of his career so far.

Gone are the bludgeoning shock tactics of Faggot, Dog, Jew and Ugly Girl. Gone are the vivifying crassness, brashness and vulgarity of yore, for Golgotha’s hallmark is limpid classical purity and restraint.

The impulse behind the work, created in the wake of a searing bereavement, is a tragic awareness of the irreversibility of human actions and a fierce yearning for the irretrievable.

Trauma and grief inspire a meticulously concerted performance of religious inspiration in which all those hoary, bearded prophets of the Old Testament, all those Jeremiahs, Ezekiel’s and Isaiah’s, rise up atavistically to ventilate their ire and righteous wrath.

Golgotha was the site of capital punishment in Jerusalem. It was the place of Christ’s crucifixion, and the Hebrew word Golgotha refers to the skulls that littered the ground.

On a visit to New York Cohen was appalled to find a shop selling human bones, and the performance originated in his outraged disgust at such mercantile obscenity. If his earlier work reflects the politics of the anus, then Golgotha explores the reeking arse-end of the American moral landscape where economic exploitation persists beyond the grave.

Golgotha is an apocalyptic indictment of American capitalism and materialism, America’s death-dealing foreign interventionism, America’s intolerance of the ‘other’ and their counterparts around the globe.

The video, a sumptuous aesthetic spectacle, opens with an elegiac exordium in which the camera slowly inches over Cohen’s body to the strains of a heart-breaking, plaintive lament. His tutu is formed from diminutive gilded mirrors with richly carved crowns and floral and foliate scrolls.

His bald head references the shaven scalps of the victims of the Holocaust, be they Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, Communists or dissident clergy.

His face is heavily made-up: butterfly wings and feathered eyelashes adorn his eyes.

Finally his high heels rise from human skulls which, he says, ‘heighten his awareness of the presence of the dead’.

Costume and maquillage allude to the emblematic devices underpinning the 17th century vanitas which proclaims the

brevity and transience of human life and the inevitability of divine judgment. Mirrors, blossoms, leaves, crowns and butterflies are all traditional tokens of vanity which transform Cohen into a living Memento Mori. However the Janusfaced artist is not just e.e. cummings’ ‘blue-eyed boy, Mister Death’, he also incarnates a swatch of victimized identities.

He is the Jew, the queer, the representative of all marginalized and threatened beings. The leaves, blossoms, butterflies and feathers that adorn him, identify him with nature and threatened species.

He is the imperiled planet, the martyred Christ and the Jewish ritual scapegoat, Azazeel who expiates the sins of his people.

In the next sequence, a grey, pin-stripe suit replaces the tutu, turning Cohen into a latter-day Jedermann, as he picks a path down the New York streets.

The intervention - a series of genuflections, abasements and prayer-like invocations - takes place where Wall Street - the epicentre of global capitalism – converges on Trinity church.

There Mammon meets God in a confluence of immense energies, and the artists slow, stumbling progress forms a parallel to the Via Dolorosa and the stations of the Cross.

The strain Cohen endures sustaining these apostate or salvatory identities expresses itself in his precarious equilibrium. The human skulls not only create the persona, they dictate his movement and stance. His gait betrays his human fallibility and weakness. The artist totters, sways and seems forever about to fall.

To stand or walk is to undergo a trial that proves his faith.

Every step he takes is an heroic ethical assertion, a challenge to evil. Virtually immobilized by the high heels that ‘bring him closer to God’, Cohen bears witness on the godless streets.

The shamanistic aspect of his practice, his redemptive attempt to heal a sick world through rituals of expiation, emerge from the sweeping, balletic gestures whereby his fluttering hands mime out prayer, entreaty, lamentation, helplessness, bafflement, prostration, obeisance and resignation.

Golgotha abounds in deliriously seductive images. The surreal dynamic of the closeups of the two skulls treading a path amidst the pulsing neon of Times Square, or hovering over the New York skyline in a prophecy of doom, lend them galvanizing presence. The inevitable triumph of divine virtue is forcefully conveyed by the rousingly affirmative finale in which the skulls march triumphantly through the Manhattan streets in a devastating subversion of that most stirring of all American anthems, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which the artist twists into his own torch song and threnody to the deceased.

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;His truth is marching on.”

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

Page 13

Gina Heyer: Currents 3 (2009 – 2010), Oil on board, 58.5 x 44.2 cm to be seen at www.iart.co.za

New Whale Rock Auctioneers could surprise

By Michael Coulson Hermanus may sound a strange base from which to challenge the major auction houses, but Whale Rock Auctioneers’ Derek Benzien doesn’t see this as a problem. “You could hold an auction in the middle of the Karoo and people will come if the art is good enough,” he asserts – which may, ironically, be one reason why his sale on January 9 was much less successful than its predecessor last November.

Benzien, now pushing 40, says he’s being buying and selling art since he was 12. “I’m just a smous.” In the past two or three years he’s also opened galleries in Onrus (in partnership with artist Hennie Niemann snr, from whom he says he’s learnt a lot) and Hermanus itself.

He’s confident the market is big enough for him to find a space beside the likes of Strauss & Co and Stephan Welz & Co (Swelco), though he concedes it will take 10 years to emulate their stature.

Just how successful he’s been so far is hard to gauge, as he doesn’t release comprehensive results of his auctions – which, like Strauss and Swelco, include furniture and other items as well as art. “I’d like to report everything, but some of my clients don’t want to, and you have to respect their wishes.” One wonders what they have to hide.

Still, he says his November sale grossed about R8.5m, of which about 80% came from the 80%-90% sold 60 to 70 art works. Highlights were two Maggie Laubsers, which each went for a few rand over R1m (prices include commission and other costs, his commission being remarkably low by auction standards, at only 10%), R612 000 and R567 000 for two Pierneefs, R467 000 for a Pieter Wenning and R417 000 for a Gregoire Boonzaaier – the last mentioned, he says, a record for a Boonzaaier of its size.

He also set a record for Paul du

Toit, at R111 000.

The January sale, however, grossed only R800 000, and while there were post-sale offers of around R1.6m, most fell through. This implies that the Pierneef oil (est R650 000-R850 000), a Pierneef pastel (est R250 000-R300 000), a Boonzaaier (est R240 000-R300 000) and a Laubser still life (est R200 000-R250 000) went unsold, and Benzien implicitly confirms this when he says that the highlight was a record R140 000 hammer price for a Marj Wallace Arniston landscape (est R100 000-R150 000).

He claims Strauss had previously valued this at only R40 000-R60 000, adding that what he sees as inconsistent and arbitrary valuations by the major houses play into his hands.

“They tend to value automatically by name of artist, subject matter and size, and don’t pay enough regard to the quality of individual pieces.”

Benzien offers several reasons for his January flop. It was too soon since the previous sale and some of the works had been hawked around for some time. “I didn’t really want to hold the sale, but people were pressing me, and I had to give in.”

He also admits that one reason for his November success was that it included a fine collection from a house in Bantry Bay (the owner doesn’t want to be identified) where he luckily just happened to be the early bird. But he’s optimistic about the future, and plans to hold two or three auctions a year; “I’ve already sourced 17 quality pieces for my next sale, in April or May.” And, he adds, “We’ll have a Cape Town branch very soon.”

Strauss and Swelco won’t be shaking in their shoes yet, and have no reason to. But if Benzien can realise his ambitions even partially, that could change.

PAGE 14

SA ART AUCTIONS

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

Stephan Welz and Company - Cape inaugurates the new 2010 Art Auction Season Tuesday 23 February 2010, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town Major works by Maggie Laubser, JH Pierneef, Cecil Skotnes, Vladimir Tretchikoff and Pieter Hugo Naudé headline the inaugural auction of the Stephan Welz & Co 2010 calendar.

Stephan Welz and Company’s inaugural auction of the 2010 calendar is to be hosted at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in the Old Mutual Conference Centre. The auction scheduled for 23 February comprises three comprehensive sessions across a full spectrum of Decorative and Fine Arts.

Early views of Cape Town are found in works such as a rare watercolour by Thomas Bowler “Greenpoint, Cape of Good Hope” (estimate R40 000 – 60 000) and a Pieter Hugo Naudé work titled “In Old Cape Town, Malay Quarter” (estimate R250 000 – 300 000) which was included in an exhibition focusing on early Cape Town at the then Martin Melck House (now the Gold of Africa Museum). Other highlights in the sale include a number of striking figural works by Maggie Laubser, Irma Stern, Maurice van Essche, Jean Welz, Neville Lewis, George Pemba, Vladimir Tretchikoff, Marjorie Wallace, Christo Coetzee, Stanley Pinker and Robert Hodgins.

The Maggie Laubser painting “Portrait of a Woman with Head Scarf” (estimate R700 000 – 900 000) is a fine example of the early period in the artist’s career and was painted on the family farm, Oortmanspost, shortly after her return from studying abroad.

Executed in a rich palette of ochre, sienna and umber offset against a spectrum of blues, this work is a tender portrait of one of Laubser’s favourite models; other studies of the sitter can be found in the Liz Delmont/Dalene Marais book Maggie Laubser: Her paintings, drawings and graphics in which this painting is illustrated on pg 183. Alfred Neville Lewis is represented by three works including “A Man with Earrings and Bandana” (estimate R90 000 – 120 000) and “A Pondo Woman Grinding Corn”(estimate R80 000 – 120 000), both of which capture their subjects in the artist’s compassionate and distinctive style. Other enigmatic portraits on the sale include the iconic “The Hindu Dancer” by Vladimir Tretchikoff (estimate R1 000 000 – 1 200 000), Marjorie Wallace’s humorous selfportrait “Solitaire” (estimate R60 000 – 80 000), Fred Page’s “The Hand” (estimate R80 000 – 100 000) and Christo Coetzee’s “The Bride” (estimate R90 000 – 120 000).

“These highly personal and individualized reflections of self and their world make our artists so compelling to handle,” says Ian Hunter of the Painting

Department.

In 1952 the National Gallery in Cape Town hosted the “Exhibition of Contemporary South African Art” and the auction boasts two South African masters included in this prestigious show. The exhibition was curated with funding from the Jan van Riebeeck Tercentenary Festival. First to be offered is Pierneef’s “Fishermen’s Cottages Near Struisbaai” (estimate R1 400 000 - 1 600 000). The individuality of this work lies in Pierneef’s choice to depict the now National Monument ‘Hotagterklip cottages’ at the entrance of Struisbaai and is a marked departure from the artist’s regular oeuvre of trees and mountains. The work is executed in Pierneef’s recognisable later, pared-down palette and employs many of his familiar traditional equations such as the division of cottages-earth-sky ratio based on the Golden Section. By placing the various components in this work on an asymmetrical plane he heightens the drama of this deceptively simple composition. The sky is omnipresent in the composition with the promise of a storm to come while a lone tree leans into the composition from the left. Second is Gregoire Boonzaier’s “Fruit, Cup and Ginger Jar” (estimate R140 000 – 180 000) which was acquired by the current owner from well-known art dealer Inge Welz, wife of Jean Welz, shortly after the conclusion of the 1952 festival. Other still life studies in the sale include works by Francois Krige, “Still Life with Fruit” (estimate R120 000 – 150 000), and a work from the collection of Alfred Krentz “Still Life with Pot Plant” (estimate R70 000 – 100 000).

Contemporary South African Art is well represented throughout the painting sessions. Cecil Skotnes’ “A Metaphysical Landscape” (estimate R600 000 – 800 000) is a monumental work executed in the artist’s later years. Being a resident Capetonian, Skotnes might well have taken inspiration from his beloved Table Mountain which was clearly visible from his home in the City Bowl. In this work the landscape dominates the composition, erupting dramatically in Liesegang bandings or colour planes, and is barely contained by the band of vivid sky and artist’s carved frame. Stanley Pinker’s “Two Women” (estimate R80 000 – 120 000) is a repatriated work, fresh to the market having been bought in South Africa but hung on the walls of

an English collector. Another South African who has proven his success locally as well as internationally is Robert Hodgins whose sellout show in 2008 confirmed his status as one of South Africa’s modern masters.

His painting titled “Smoking” is on offer at an estimate of R140 000 – 180 000.

For the fledgling collector there is a fine choice of works on paper by artists trained at the Polly Street and Rorke’s Drift Art Centre’s. Included amongst these are four works by Namibian artist John Muafangejo with estimates all falling beneath the R10 000 threshold.

that combine to give a really big overall impression,” says Robin Page, head of interior design at Bentley Motors.

The evening furniture session is punctuated with the inclusion of two pocket globes from a private collection. A rare Regency Terrestrial Pocket Globe (estimate R30 000 – 40 000),

by John Newton circa 1818, is unusual on account of its diminutive size and the illustrations found on the inside of its case. These illustrations depict the seasons and their corresponding zodiac constellations.

The second pocket globe, this one a George III Terrestrial

Maggie (Maria Magdalena) Laubser 1969, Portrait of a woman with headscarf, signed and dated 25, oil on paper laid down on board, 51,5 by 40,5cm R 700 000 - 900 000 Hunter concludes, “It is a privilege to see these richly textured outpourings of self, these emotional diaries left behind to delight and beguile us.”

For the first time in more than a decade, the Cape Town sale will include motor cars. An elegant 1968 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (estimate R100 000 – 120 000) headlines the Classic cars in this sale. Other motor cars include a 1957 Le Mans style MGA (estimate R110 000 – 120 000) and a 1965 MGB (estimate R100 000 – 120 000) both in heart-racing red. For an enthusiast with a more contemporary leaning, one will be attracted to a 2005 Bentley Continental GT (R1 800 000 – 2 000 000). Since its inception in 2004, “The GT has proved to be an unequivocal sales success around the globe…those little touches

Pocket Globe after Herman Moll, circa 1775 is available at a similar estimate.

For interior enthusiasts and collectors of English Furniture there are numerous pieces from the renowned Noordehoek Manor. Included in the sale is a fine pair of George IV Mahogany side servers, first half of the 19th century (estimate R20 000 – 30 000), which would make an attractive addition to a well-appointed room. Continental furniture is highlighted by the handsome cover lot. This grand piece, a fine Northern Italian walnut and marquetry commode, late 18th century (estimate R60 000 – 80 000), intricately decorated in delightful inlay and is a delightful ode to Roman mythology, which enjoyed a revival at the time of this commode’s design. Also of note is a charming Nicole Frères

Cylinder Musical Box (estimate R6 000 – 8 000) made in Switzerland in the second half of the 19th century. Colonial and Oriental furniture features a striking Amboyna, Ebony and brass-inlaid Campaign Chest (R30 000 – 40 000) from the mid 19th century. Cape collectors will appreciate a Cape Yellowwood, Teak and Fruitwood peg-top gate-leg table, 18th century (estimate R40 000 – 60 000) and a finely crafted Cape Regency Stinkwood and Inlaid Rusbank, mid 19th century (estimate R30 000 – 40 000).

This rusbank is illustrated in the collectors handbook “ Cape Antique Furniture” compiled

by Michael Baraister and Anton Oberholzer. Contemporary collectors will find themselves drawn to a set of four ‘Oxford’ chairs (estimate R20 000 – 25 000) by the renowned designer Arne Jacobsen.

Among the wide selection of electroplate and silver is a lovely Art Nouveau electroplate centrepiece, 20th century (estimate R10 000 – 12 000), finely decorated with a maiden wearing a long flowing dress beneath a bouquet of flowers.

Also in the sale is a Victorian silver ewer, Roberts and Belk, Sheffield, 1864 (estimate R20 000 – 25 000), a pair of George V silver Art Deco Vases, Makely & Wheeler, London, 1925 (estimate R10 000 – 12 000), a late Victorian silver-mounted easel-back mirror, possibly William Comyns & Sons Ltd, London, 1896 (estimate R12 000 – 15 000), and a fascinating Scottish silver-mounted deer’s foot inkwell, Ferguson & MacBean, Edinborough, 1891 (estimate R12 000 – 15 000).

Contemporary South African ceramics feature prominently in the Ceramic session. Included is a terracotta figure “St Francis Preaching to the Fish” by renowned Diek Grobler (estimate R15 000 – 20 000) and Evette Weyers stoneware figure “Evolution” (estimate R15 000 – 20 000). From the Ardmore studio is Wonderboy Nxumalo’s “Nelson Mandela” dish (estimate R15 000 – 20 000) executed in 1998 and a Josephine Ghesa terracotta piece “The Rider” (estimate R15 000 – 20 000). Ghesa is probably one of the best known artists from this studio whose work is held in many corporate and private collections locally and abroad. Amongst the Oriental ceramics, which prove to be perennially popular with collectors, is a Chinese blue and white tureen and cover, Qianlong, 1736-1798 (estimate R8 000 – 10 000) and a Chinese Wucai vase, transitional

period, 17th century (estimate R6 000 – 8 000). Glass enthusiasts will be drawn to the lovely Lalique items on offer including “Eroica”, a clear and frosted glass vase designed by Marie-Claude Lalique as an allegorical figure of Liberty in tribute to the French Revolution (R10 000 – 15 000) and a set of twelve Lalique clear and frosted glass dessert plates, post 1945, in the “Honfleur” pattern (estimate R20 000 – 25 000). Works of art encompass a wide variety of items which include a large pale celadon nephrite carving (estimate R20 000 – 30 000) and a gilt-bronze figure of Syamatara (estimate R12 000 – 15 000). An equestrian patinated bronze sculpture “Kingsem and Rider” after Isidore-Jules Bonheur (estimate R40 000 – 60 000) is also on offer. This bronze impressively captures a subject who was the unbeaten winner of 54 races including the Derby and the Goodwood Cup. Breaking from traditional format the auction is to be held over a single day divided into three sessions. For further press information and images please contact Phillippa Duncan on +27 21 794 6461 or +27 83 480 9189 or phillippa.duncan@ swelco.co.za VENUE (For pre-sale viewing and auction sessions) Old Mutual Conference & Exhibition Centre Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Cape Town VIEWING Friday 19 February 2010 10h00 - 19h00 Saturday 20 February 2010 10h00 - 15h00 Sunday 21 February 2010 10h00 - 17h00 AUCTION SESSIONS Tuesday 23 February 2010 Session One - Silver, Collectors’ Items and Ceramics 10h00 Session Two - Furniture; British and South African Paintings 14h00 Session Three - Furniture; South African Paintings 19h00

BUSINESSART | FEBRUARY 2010

SA ART AUCTIONS

Page 15

After Anton van Wouw, Slegte Nuus, bears signature, inscribed, “SA Joh-Burg” bronze with brown patina, height: 32,5cm, (excluding base), R 60 000 - 80 000

Alfred Neville Lewis, The crown Prince of Baruth.Signed, oil on canvas, 49,5 by 39,5cm, R 15 000 - 20 000

Alexander Cecil Podlashuc, Still life with scale, jug and daisy.

Signed and dated ‘68 oil on board, 50 by 75cm, R 25 000 - 35 000

Adriaan Hendrik Boshoff: A man walking along a path . Signed, oil on canvas board, 21,5 by 31cm, R 18 000 - 24 000

Jacob Hendrik Pierneef: Fishermen’s cottages near Struisbaai. signed and dated 48, oil on canvas, 54 by 66cm, R 1 400 000 - 1 600 000

Dominic Thorburn: Daar Gat Die Yellow Pages!, Medium: Intaglio etching, 600mm X 700mm, 1989

The South African Print Gallery Dealers with interesting artists and exciting prints

107 Sir Lowry Road, Woostock, Cape Town. www.printgallery.co.za