31st Oct, 2016 20:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
26
Sidney Goldblatt (South Africa 1919-1979)
Hillbrow Washday
oil on board
Signature details: signed
Sold for R34,104
Estimated at R30,000 - R50,000
oil on board
Signature details: signed
(1)
41 x 50 cm
Notes:
These two representative works by respected 20th century South African painter Sidney Goldblatt are fine additions to any modern painting collection. Both painted roughly in mid-century, they are stylistically and historically fascinating.
Joburg Bus Station, while being an undeniably figurative work, succeeds in providing a dynamic ‘social expressionism’ – a snapshot of a social milieu and a city then, at the end of the 1950s, in flux. It is painted at a time also when the artist himself was in the process of developing a new, more abstracted style. The cast of characters waiting for the bus show the artist’s eye for narrative and humour, with great stylistic swagger in the frank gaze and fur coat of the figure in the foreground, and subtle detail in the traditionally-blanketed figures in the background. The swanky American sedan reflected in the window of the otherwise bare street corner sets the historical scene and contrasting social conditions as expertly as the characters that patiently wait for the bus.
The rather more riotous and cheerful view of Hillbrow Washday references perhaps the surfaces and palette of the artist’s time spent living and painting village scenes in Spain. This scene, free of human tumult, is a calm and engaging play of light, shade, colour and angular surfaces in an afternoon scene recognisably South African, but redolent of the European cultures Hillbrow would encompass in the high apartheid days of the 1960s and 1970s. Set away from the apartment blocks in the background, the view of backyard quietude in the old Joburg inner city suburb is beautifully executed and thoroughly charming.
James Sey
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 31st Oct, 2016
The line-up for our inaugural sale included an extraordinary selection of art. Works ranged from JH Pierneef’s breathtaking Karoo near Hofmeyer, painted in 1930, to Dan Halter’s 2006, ultraviolet light, Pefection.
Sculptures varied from Edoardo Villa’s acknowledgment of French artist, Aristide Maillol to Wim Botha’s heads that draw on classical and contemporary sources and Ed Young’s cheeky nude self-portrait. Also included were impressive photographs by award-winners, David Goldblatt and Pieter Hugo.
The auction set an impressive standard, with an outstanding sell-through rate of over 75% across 121 lots. The top lot of the sale was Alexis Preller’s exceptional Profile Figures (Mirrored Image), selling for over R7-million. Record sales were achieved for Villa, Goldblatt, and Hugo, amongst others.
Viewing
Friday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 4 pm
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