11th Feb, 2018 15:00
Contents of Deodar House Live Auction
37
William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx (South Africa 1955-)
Fire Walker
painted steel
Artwork date: 2010
Signature details: edition 5/5, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, signed by both artists
Exhibited: cf. Various venues, Johannesburg, In Context, 2010. cf. Marian Goodman Gallery, Paris, William Kentridge: Breathe, Dissolve, Return, 11 September to 16 October 2010. cf. Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, Sources: Contemporary Sculpture in the Landscape, 25 March to 5 June 2009.
Literature: cf. Goodman Gallery. (2016). New Revolutions: Goodman Gallery at 50, 1966–2016. Johannesburg: Goodman Gallery, another example from the edition illustrated in colour on p.38.
Sold for R3,978,800
Estimated at R3,000,000 - R5,000,000
painted steel
Artwork date: 2010
Signature details: edition 5/5, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, signed by both artists
Exhibited: cf. Various venues, Johannesburg, In Context, 2010. cf. Marian Goodman Gallery, Paris, William Kentridge: Breathe, Dissolve, Return, 11 September to 16 October 2010. cf. Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg, Sources: Contemporary Sculpture in the Landscape, 25 March to 5 June 2009.
Literature: cf. Goodman Gallery. (2016). New Revolutions: Goodman Gallery at 50, 1966–2016. Johannesburg: Goodman Gallery, another example from the edition illustrated in colour on p.38.
(1)
300 x 175 x 204 cm
Notes:
The full-scale Fire Walker sculpture by William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx is by now a famous Johannesburg landmark. It is an 11-metre-high work largely made of interlocking steel plates depicting its subject – a woman striding along with a brazier on her head. These working class women, providing heat for street cooking or the warming of hands in winter, were once a common sight in Johannesburg’s inner city. The situation of the sculpture, on the Southern end of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge linking Braamfontein to the old CBD, makes it something of asentinel, overlooking that part of the city. It has even been called ‘Johannesburg’s Statue of Liberty’, with its iconic depiction of one of the city’s underclass. The statue’s most characteristic and noteworthy feature is its ‘exploded’ nature. It is masterfully designed and constructed so that the full, coherent image of the subject can only be seen from a certain angle – from all other angles the view of the subject fragments into a much more abstract entity. This smaller version of the work has a similarly striking exploded visual effect, but rather than its native urban habitat,it is transplanted to the peaceful surrounds of the Deodar gardens. The full effect of the sculpture is achieved by walking slowly around it, easy to do in a tranquil garden. The iconography of the woman striding across a landscape is part of Kentridge’s visual language, but the viewer almost has to walk against and with the Fire Walker to understand how the sculpture both fragments and unifies perception.
James Sey
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Auction: Contents of Deodar House Live Auction, 11th Feb, 2018
Aspire Art Auctions were delighted to be entrusted with the sale of the contents of Deodar House, a resplendent home with immaculate gardens in the peaceful and leafy Johannesburg suburb of Illovo. Its owners had amassed an eclectic, impeccably curated, and valuable collection of fine art, decorative arts, furniture, jewellery, watches, and wine. The entire contents of the house were brought to auction, with all seller’s proceeds from the sale donated to leukaemia charities.
Viewing
Wednesday 7 February 2018 | 10 am – 4 pm
Thursday 8 February 2018 | 10 am – 4 pm
Friday 9 February 2018 | 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday 10 February 2018 | 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday 11 February 2018 | 10 am – 3 pm
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