ART AUCTION
The Hammer Worker, a bronze sculpture by Anton van Wouw topped the Bonhams South African art auction in London, selling for US$ 121,115 inc. premium. Image: Bonhams
ART AUCTION News: Artworks by old masters that put South Africa on the world art map excelled at Bonhams South African Art Auction in London.
BY KAZEEM ADELEKE
LONDON-The Hammer Worker, a bronze sculpture by Anton van Wouw exceeded expectations at the recent auction of South African art in London. Held at Bonhams Auction House in London, the work surpassed estimates, selling for £97,500 (US$ 121,115) inc. premium. It was estimated at ZAR 1,340,000 -2,000,000 (£80,000-120,000).
Created in 1911, The Hammer Worker is one of the most recognizable sculptures by Anton van Wouw. It depicts an African miner devotedly working away at his craft. In his hands are a hammer and chisel. These works seem to draw a parallel between the artist and the miner. Their work is labor-intensive and requires similar tools.
The Hammer Worker was just one of the works by the South African sculptor in the South African art auction in London. Another is titled The Mealiepap Eater, created in 1907. The bronze sculpture depicts a Shangaan man from a tribe that lived in southern Mozambique and in the Northern Transvaal, or Limpopo, province of South Africa. It has an estimated value of between ZAR 415,000-580,000 (£25,000 to £35,000). Sitting on the ground, he reaches out to a pot and appears ready to eat his food. The man’s expression reveals a tired man ready for his meal. The sculpture was unsold at the end of the auction.
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In 2015, Irma Stern’s Arab Priest, an oil on canvas painting, was the top seller at the South African art sale in London. As expected, there was a great response when her work, Harvesters got on the auction block. The painting was informed by her visit to the Congo region in 1955, an area she had already visited twice during World War II, when her German-Jewish heritage made it impossible for her to travel in Western Europe. The painting depicts several women on a field harvesting what looks like hay. Using a combination of blue, orange, and gray, she captures the women at work. The painting had an estimate of ZAR 1,120,000-1,600,000 (£70,000-100,000), but sold for US $100,929 (£81,250) inc. premium.
Dramatic Landscape Paintings by Jacob Pierneef
Jacob Pierneef, Anton van Wous’s godson, captivated many with his dramatic landscape paintings. Notable for his luminous evocation of South Africa’s Highveld, Jacob Pierneef’s paintings are in high demand among collectors across the globe. In the South African art auction in London, he was represented by several works, one of which was Malutis. Malutis had an estimate of ZAR 670,000-1,000,000 (£40,000-60,000), but sold for US $54,346 (£43,750) inc. premium.
Many of the artists at the South African art auction are well known in the auction world. One artist, perhaps, often overlooked is Robert Hodgins (1920-2010). An exceptional artist, Hodgins who was born in Britain settled permanently in South Africa in 1953, where he lived and worked there for the rest of his life. After years of portraying idealistic beauty, Hodgins made a shift in his creation, focusing on the reality of the human experience. The Bus Stop painted in 1999, exemplifies that re/focusing on human suffering, everyday experience of South Africans, and aesthetics. At the center of The Bus Stop is a woman. Slumped on the bench, knees splayed, the woman appears tired or drunk. Estimated at ZAR 500,000-830,000 (£30,000-50,000), the painting sold for US $46,583 (£37,500) inc. premium.
Bonhams Head of South African Art, Giles Peppiatt, said, “The breadth of work in this sale demonstrates the strength in depth of South African art. The figurative pieces are especially impressive, with The Hammer Worker and The Bus Stop wonderfully, and movingly, portraying the human condition.”
Harvesters by Irma Stern at South African Art Auction
Irma Stern, Harvesters. Oil on canvas 68.5 x 61cm. Sold for US$ 100,929 (£81,250) inc. premium. Image: Bonhams
Top 11 Lots Sold at the Bonhams South African Art Auction in London.
- Anton van Wouw (South African, 1862-1945), The Hammer Worker. Bronze
60 x 67 x 23cm (24 x 26 3/8 x 9 1/16in). Sold for £97,500 (US$ 121,115) inc. premium.
- Irma Stern (South African, 1894-1966), The Water Carrier. Gouache on board 64 x 50.5cm (25 3/16 x 19 7/8in). Sold for £81,250 (US$ 100,929) inc. premium.
- Irma Stern (South African, 1894-1966), Harvesters. Oil on canvas 68.5 x 61cm (26 15/16 x 24in). Sold for £81,250 (US$ 100,929) inc. premium.
- Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (South African, 1886-1957), Baobab Tree. Oil on board, 49.5 x 59cm (19 1/2 x 23 1/4in). Sold for £68,750 (US$ 85,402) inc. premium
- Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (South African, 1886-1957), Malutis, Basutoland . Oil on board, 54 x 66.5cm (21 1/4 x 26 3/16in). Sold for £43,750 (US$ 54,346) inc. premium
- Gerard Sekoto (South African, 1913-1993), Senegalese Ladies. Oil on canvas, 100 x 80cm (39 3/8 x 31 1/2in). Sold for £37,500 (US$ 46,583) inc. premium.
- Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (South African, 1886-1957), Enkeldoorn. Oil on canvas, 41 x 56cm (16 1/8 x 22 1/16in). Sold for £37,500 (US$ 46,583) inc. premium.
- Gerard Sekoto (South African, 1913-1993), Senegalese Figures. Oil on board, 65 x 50.5cm (25 9/16 x 19 7/8in). Sold for £37,500 (US$ 46,583) inc. premium.
- Robert Griffiths Hodgins (South African, 1920-2010), The Bus Stop (1999). Oil on canvas, 120 x 91.5cm (47 1/4 x 36in). Sold for £37,500 (US$ 46,583) inc. premium.
- Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (South African, 1886-1957), Mountains in Swaziland. Oil on board , 41 x 56cm (16 1/8 x 22 1/16in). Sold for £32,500 (US$ 40,371) inc. premium.
- Jacob Hendrik Pierneef (South African, 1886-1957), Hectorspruit. Oil on board 54 x 66.5cm (21 1/4 x 26 3/16in). Sold for £32,500 (US$ 40,371) inc. premium.
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