Irma Stern, The Red Dress set to go on sale at Bonhams auction in London. Image: Bonhams
Irma Stern’s portrait painting of a young Cape Malay woman titled The Red Dress leads Bonhams The South African Sale will also include artworks by famous South African artists. Image: Bonhams
BY KAZEEM ADELEKE
LONDON- The Red Dress, a bold and colorful painting by one of South Africa’s most celebrated artists, Irma Stern, will highlight The South African Sale at Bonhams on September 13. Executed in 1949 when Stern was at the height of her powers, The Red Dress is estimated at £250,000-300,000.
The Red Dress is a sensitive depiction of a young Cape Malay woman. Sitting in a chair, the woman poses as if waiting for a lover late for a date. Irma Stern gives character to the woman whose expression seems aged with anger, using bold black strokes that accentuate her mood. She balances the woman’s vibrant cadmium red dress with dabs of red on the woman’s nose and forehead. Even as she gives authority to the saturated red, Stern calms the painting with contrasting blues, greens, and grays on the background and scarf.
There is a boldness about The Red Dress that gives credence to why Irma Stern is one of the top-selling South African artists. Her bold black strokes exude the artistic confidence that comes with years of practice. In 2011, Stern’s Arab Priest achieved an astonishing £3,044,000 during Bonhams auctions, a record for the artist.
Beyond Stern’s dexterous rendition of the woman, the painting also points to a connection between the painter and her model. Bonhams Director of South African Art, Giles Peppiatt identified that connection when he explained that the portrait derives much of its power from the artist’s empathy for her sitter:
Although she spent much of her life in South Africa, Irma Stern felt unsettled by Capetonian high society and always viewed herself as something of an outsider. She spent many years traveling and was fascinated by the different cultures she encountered. At a time when the sitter would have been viewed as a second-class citizen, The Red Dress demonstrates a sympathy and mutual understanding between the white European artist and her subject.
Irma Stern was born on October 2, 1894, in Schweizer-Reneke, South Africa. She was one of the major South African artists. She achieved national and international recognition in her lifetime. During World War I, Stern moved to Berlin to study art. Her first solo exhibition happened in 1916 with the assistance of Max Pechstein. Pechstein was a German expressionist painter and printmaker. He was a member of the Die Brücke group.
Stern’s exposure to expressionism and its proponents was a major influence on her career. When Stern returned to South Africa, she continued to practice her art. In later years, she traveled throughout Africa, painting portraits and landscapes. As an exceptional sculptor and painter, Irma Stern’s recognition came from her expressive portraits done in saturated colors. The Red Dress is an important example of her portrait. Irma Stern died on August 23, 1966.
The South African Sale will also include works by Jacob Pierneef, a famous landscape painter. There are expectations that his depiction of Hartbeespoort Dam ( 1946) will do well at the auction. Hartbeespoort Dam is a revision of one of the artist’s most important compositions. It is a panel from his career-defining commission for the Johannesburg railway station.
The South African Sale will also include Congolese Maid, a painting by Gerard Sekoto. It has an estimate of £30,000-50,000. Bonhams currently holds the world record for the sale of Sekoto’s work. His Yellow Houses, District Six sold for £602,400 in 2011. Also expected to feature prominently at the auction is The Interrogation Room by Robert Griffiths Hodgins. The painting is estimated at £20,000-25,000.
Although the South African Sale includes exceptional works by other famous South African artists, the focus remains on The Red Dress by Irma Stern. There are expectations that the painting will set an auction record. The sale will be at Bonhams’ New Bond Street saleroom.
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Great info however price is beyond my reach! Thank you for sharing the background to this painting
Thank you for your comment. Irma Stern's works are top sellers at African art auctions. The expectation is that "The Red Dress" will go beyond the stated estimates. My advice to those of us who can't afford artwork at this price is to look for young artists whose works we can afford. You never can tell, that artist could be the next Basquiat whose work sold for $111.5 million at the auction recently.