SA ART FETCHES R28.5 mln IN LONDON AUCTION

SA ART FETCHES R28.5 mln IN LONDON AUCTION

Work by South African artists like Jacob Pierneef, Gerard Sekoto and Maggie Laubser fetched a total of R28.5 million at a London auction on 24 March.

The sale sold 82 percent of the 135 works by 42 South African artists for 2.6 million pounds (R28.5 million), spokesman for auction house Bonhams, Julian Roup, said in a statement.   

The top priced work in the sale was by Pierneef, titled 'An Extensive View of Farmlands' which sold for 356,000 pounds (R3.9 million) against an estimate of 120,000 pounds to 180,000 pounds. The sale's catalogue cover lot by Gerard Sekoto, 'Market Street Scene, Cape Town', sold for 192,000 pounds (R2.1 million) against an estimate of 120,000 pounds to 180,000 pounds, and a Maggie Laubser, 'Woman Wearing a Red Doek', estimated at 20,000 pounds to 30,000 pounds sold for 50,400 pounds (R554,000).

Two other historically-important South African items, were sold in private deals prior to the auction. This included the South African flag signed by former Presidents Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk on Mandela's inauguration in 1994, and a 1955 copy of the ANC's Freedom Charter. The former was sold to an anonymous South African businessman now living in London, with the intention of returning the flag to South Africa. The latter was sold in a deal with the Lilliesleaf Trust.

Source: SAPA

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