bronze
Artwork date: 1987
Signature details: from an edition of 3
Sold for R568,400
Estimated at R200,000 - R300,000
bronze
Artwork date: 1987
Signature details: from an edition of 3
(1)
93 x 55 x 22 cm
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg.
Notes:
Sydney Kumalo was born in Sophiatown in 1935, a place that was a cultural melting pot in the 50s before its residents were forcibly moved by apartheid authorities, as the settlement was seen as an affront to its idea of separate development. He was trained at the famous Polly Street School, first by the likes of Cecil Skotnes who became his friend, mentor and colleague, and later by renowned sculptor Edoardo Villa. Kumalo’s art making was in many respects influenced by the environment in which he was born. Sophiatown was an urban environment which was determinedly mixed-race and multicultural. In his practice, Kumalo found himself increasingly incorporating his African culture with a modernist, more Western style.It is in this aspect that the influences of his teachers and mentors Skotnes and Villa become evident in Kumalo’s work. Praise Singer 1 represents this well in his use of the traditional Western sculptural medium of bronze, to tap into the traditional praise singing culture of his people. Praise singing is often associated with royalty, whereby a praise singer or Zulu imbongi will render a performance to a traditional leader, such as a chief or king, in recognition of the important role such leaders occupy as luminaries for their societies. That was a way of communicating his influences when it comes to art making. He recognised his own double heritage as an rtist, trained in Western techniques by his teachers such as Skotnes, and yet drawing heavily from his African culture. Praise Singer 1 is also notable in that the work was commissioned for the Natal Opera House in 1987, and was completed shortly before Kumalo’s death in 1988 – the only cast of the work to be completed by the artist before his death. Having been commissioned by a major theatre controlled by the State in the apartheid era, when black artists were denied many institutional opportunities, can only mean that Kumalo was in a league of his own.
Edward Tsumele
You can place an absentee bid through our website - please sign in to your account on our website to proceed.
In the My Account tab you can also enter telephone bids, or email bids@aspireart.net to log telephone/absentee bids.
Join us on the day of the auction to follow and bid in real-time.
The auction will be live-streamed with an audio-visual feed.
Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 12th Nov, 2017
Aspire’s final auction for 2017 ended the year on a high note with a collection of top historical, modern and contemporary artworks.
A number of superb historic paintings came to auction, dating back to the late nineteenth century. Among them were works by Hugo Naudé, Anton Van Wouw, and Dorothy Kay. A fine collection of mid-twentieth century modern work by South Africa’s best-known artists at auction including Edoardo Villa, Maggie Laubser, Sydney Kumalo and Irma Stern were also on offer. The top lot by value was, however, a contemporary work. A superb drawing by world-renowned South African artist William Kentridge. Drawing from Mine (Soho with coffee plunger and cup) (1991), sold for R5 456 640, a record for a drawing by Kentridge in South Africa.
Viewing
Thursday 9 November 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Friday 10 November 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 11 November 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 12 November 2017 | 10 am – 3 pm
Currency conversions are based on the exchange rate at the auction's start time and date. Bidders should verify the current exchange rate on the day of the sale. All invoices and payments must be made in South African Rands.
Logistics
While we endeavour to assist our Clients as much as possible, we require artwork(s) to be delivered and/or collected from our premises by the Client. In instances where a Client is unable to deliver or collect artwork(s), Aspire staff is available to assist in this process by outsourcing the services to one of our preferred Service Providers. The cost for this will be for the Client’s account, with an additional Handling Fee of 15% charged on top of the Service Provider’s invoice.
Aspire Art provides inter-company transfer services for its Clients between Johannesburg and Cape Town branches. These are based on the size of the artwork(s), and charged as follows:
Small (≤60x90x10 cm): R480
Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R960
Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,440
Over-size: Special quote
Should artwork(s) be collected or delivered to/from Clients by Aspire Art directly, the following charges will apply:
Collection/delivery ≤20km: R400
Collection/delivery 20km>R800≤50km
Collection/delivery >50km: Special quote
Packaging
A flat fee of R100 will be added to the invoice for packaging of unframed works on paper.
International Collectors Shipping Package
For collectors based outside South Africa who purchase regularly from Aspire Art’s auctions in South Africa, it does not make sense to ship artworks individually or per auction and pay shipping every time you buy another work. Consequently, we have developed a special collectors’ shipping package to assist in reducing shipping costs and the constant demands of logistics arrangements.
For buyers from outside South Africa, we will keep the artworks you have purchased in storage during the year and then ship all the works you have acquired during the year together, so the shipping costs are reduced. At the end of the annual period, we will source various quotes to get you the best price, and ship all your artworks to your desired address at once.
Aspire Art will arrange suitable storage during, and cost-effective shipping at the end, of the annual period.
Collections
Collections are by appointment, with 24-hours’ notice
Clients are requested to contact the relevant office and inform Aspire Art of which artwork(s) they would like to collect, and allow a 24-hour window for Aspire Art’s logistics department to retrieve the artwork(s) and prepare them for collection.
Handling Fee
Aspire Art charges a 15% Handling Fee on all Logistics, Framing, Restoration and Conservation arranged by Aspire.