![Alexis Preller, ‘The Red Pineapples’ [detail], 1949, oil on canvas board. Photo: Strauss & Co](https://images.prismic.io/barnebys/c7584639-13ae-49fc-91b1-42699ac46d07_Cover.jpg?auto=format,compress)
South African auction house Strauss & Co is hosting an exciting marquee sale, ‘NORTH/SOUTH’, from 8-11 November, replete with hallmarks of visual art, decorative artist, furniture, jewellery and wine. Luxury and collectability prevails amongst the hybrid sale, which is composed of eight curated sessions, to be held over four days.
One of the most exciting lots on offer is Irma Stern’s marine landscape The Grand Canal, Venice, which comes from the Tasso Foundation Collection of important South African art (session 4 of Strauss & Co’s sale). The work dates to 1948, to what is arguably the culmination of Stern's artistic career.
The Grand Canal, Venice (1948) is one in a series of views of the Venetian lagoon and Grand Canal that Stern painted on this trip. This signified a vital shift in her subject matter, which persisted for the rest of her life: Europe became prevalent from that point on. This is no doubt largely due to the timing. In the wake of World War II, the Venice Biennale was understood as a period of renewed internationalisation for Stern and for Europe itself. Describing her trip to Italy at the end of 1948 as “a very sudden enchantment”, Stern was able to “see and hear all that Europe gives in such a short time”.
Stern painted the historical splendour and sweeping vistas of the floating city numerous times, and in this present work we can see an excellent command of the watery expanses, which Stern deftly captures in oils.
Another South African star is Alexis Preller, who is represented in the sale with several artworks. Though each demonstrates the artist’s deft hand, The Red Pineapples (1949) is a breathtaking work, also heralding from the Tasso Foundation Collection.
In 1948, Preller sailed to the east coast of Africa on a visit to the Seychelles. It is likely that this sensual still life was painted shortly after this visit, as it was no doubt inspired by his experiences of the place and people. In a letter to his sister Minnie, Preller talks of the attraction of the islands, of the turquoise sea, exotic vegetation, tropical fruits, such as pineapples and mangoes, and the locals draped in “exciting tangas”.
William Kendtridge’s Tree – another work from the Tasso Foundation Collection – is paramount for its motif, which has peppered much of Kentridge’s recent work. The artist has been a sharp critic of South Africa’s earlier landscape tradition and generally avoided glora in his early drawings and printmaking. This changed when he included three etchings depicting trees in his print suite Sleeping on Glass (1999). Since 2010, he has produced various works on paper, including a series of Indian-ink drawings of trees presented over multiple book pages. The torn pages are individually painted and then pieced together, like a puzzle.
Moving into Strauss & Co’s eighth and final auction session – Post-War and Contemporary Art Part II – we find Britain represented with Lynn Chadwick’s Standing Figure, a work immediately identifiable with the English sculptor. Most of Chadwick’s work is semi-abstract sculpture in bronze or steel, as with the present example. His method to improvise and not sketch his sculpture beforehand was a unique choice for the time, but resulted in works with an air of spiritedness.
Although there are many more lots to explore and enjoy, wine connoisseurs and aficionados can take delight in Strauss & Co’s first session: A Private Single-owner Collection of Fine Wines. The collection includes some of the most hallowed wines of Burgundy and the northern Rhône; the nineteen producers on sale include Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue and Domaine de la Romaneé-Conti – increasingly among the most sought-after wines in the world.
Armand Rousseau is one of Burgundy’s greatest domaines offering a deep history of prestigious vineyards and pinnacle wines. The domaine has been family run ever since its inception in the early 20th century and was one of the first producers to estate-bottle its own wines in the 1930s. By acquiring new plots of grands crus and other noble old vines, Rousseau has steadily increased its enviable status in the Gevrey-Chambertin commune and Burgundy at large.
Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques 2007-2010’ – a 4 bottle lot from 2007 – is a particularly desirable lot in the sale. “[The wine] bursts from the glass with an expressive bouquet of raspberries, red plums, raw cocoa, peonies, sweet soil tones and spicy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, supple and charming, it’s an open-knit, expressive wine, its ample core of fruit framed by succulent acids and melting tannins. It’s drinking very well already,” says William Kelley, Wine Advocate.
