oil and graphite on canvas
Artwork date: 2002
Signature details: signed and inscribed with the artist's name, the title, medium and date on the reverse
Literature: Atkinson, B., Becker, R., Powell, I., Geers, K. and Godby, M. (eds.). (2002). Robert Hodgins. Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers, illustrated in colour on p.68.
Condition Report
The overall condition is excellent.
Please note, we are not qualified conservators and these reports give our opinion as to the general condition of the works. We advise that bidders view the lots in person to satisfy themselves with the condition of prospective purchases.
oil and graphite on canvas
Artwork date: 2002
Signature details: signed and inscribed with the artist's name, the title, medium and date on the reverse
Literature: Atkinson, B., Becker, R., Powell, I., Geers, K. and Godby, M. (eds.). (2002). Robert Hodgins. Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers, illustrated in colour on p.68.
(1)
90 x 120 cm; framed size: 92.5 x 122.5 x 5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Cape Town.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
The imposing Business Acquaintances is a great example of Robert Hodgins’ satirical take on human relationships, particularly within societal roles like business.
The artist’s sharp-witted portrayals of "the office," "businessmen," and "CEOs in pinstriped suits" serve as visual metaphors for cultural and socio-economic power structures – a recurring and popular theme in his most important works – like this one painted in 2002. These paintings offer not only a critical or comical view of the corporate world, but also explore the psychological dimensions of individual and collective male identity, in particular.
Business Acquaintances is a bold, sophisticated painting that showcases the artist's confident command of his medium, technique, and subject matter. The scene presents two suited male figures with exaggerated, almost caricature-like features, set against a sharply contrasting background. Bright, bold, and slightly abstract colours enhance the emotional depth of the work, emphasising mood over realism.
Dominated by reds, yellows, and blues, with neutral pauses, each colour block is distinct, creating an almost geometric background that contrasts with the irregular shapes of the linear figures. The red background transitions to deep shades around the figures, which creates a vignette effect and gives the scene depth. The intense red contrasts sharply with the cooler blue in the lower portion, dividing the space and adding visual tension. The yellow on the right adds warmth and serves as a framing element that could symbolise structural or ideological boundaries.
The figures themselves are simplified representations of business individuals. Hodgins used graphite over paint for the fine outlines of their figures and the linear detailing within their suits, which are loosely defined and look almost sketched. This softens their appearance and perhaps hints at a critique of the rigid and uniform nature of business culture.
While the title of the work serves as a clue, the relationship between the two figures is ambivalent, leaving the viewer curious and engaged, wanting to know more about them as individuals and the particular scenario they find themselves in. Positioned side by side, each figure stands with a hand in their pocket or on their hip, creating a subtle physical distance between them that reflects the strangely personal, yet impersonal nature of business relationships. The lack of facial details on the figure to the right and the muted, indistinct features on the left suggest a loss of individuality within the corporate world. Hodgins emphasises form and colour over detail, highlighting the "acquaintanceship" between these figures – distant yet connected within the shared, structured space of business.
This work exemplifies Hodgins' mastery of both creative vision and technical skill as he explores complex themes around societal norms and the intricate nature of social roles. His approach is playful yet intellectually engaging, offering a thoughtful and serious reflection on these constructed aspects of society.
Marelize van Zyl
COLLECTOR'S NOTE
In 2002, the same year in which Business Acquaintances was painted, Robert Hodgins’ own book, The Human Race as well as the seminal volume Robert Hodgins, commemorating his fifty years as an artist, was published, affirming his stature in the South African art world.
A year earlier, the artist’s major retrospective exhibition; 50 Years a Painter first opened and travelled for two years nationally to major intuitions, concluding at the end of 2002 at the Gertrude Posel Gallery, University of Witwatersrand.
In 2003, the artist presented his last international solo exhibition at Simon Mee Fine Art in London, UK. That same year, his work was also showcased in a group exhibition; Absolutely/Perhaps, with William Kentridge, Johannes Phokela and Sam Nhlengethwa at the same gallery.
Aspire Art sold Hodgins’ similarly themed paintings A Suit of Flames and a Brooks Bros' Shirt for R1,081,789.97 in September 2020, Tenth Circle (1994/5) for R853,500 in September 2018 and Office Hours (2006) for R 740 389 in November 2017.
COLLECTIONS:
The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the Anglo-American collection, Johannesburg; Johannesburg Art Gallery; Javett Art Centre, Pretoria; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; University of the Witwatersrand Art Gallery, Johannesburg and the William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberly.
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: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 20th Nov, 2024
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.