15th Mar, 2023 18:00

20th Century & Contemporary Art

 
Lot 6
 
Lot 6 - Christo Coetzee (South Africa 1929-2000)

6

Christo Coetzee (South Africa 1929-2000)
Afrika

oil and acrylic on canvas board

Artwork date: 1972
Signature details: signed and dated bottom right; printed with the artist's name, the date, title, medium and dimensions on a Stevenson Gallery label and inscribed with the artist's name, and 'Spain 1972' and 'Beeld van Afrika, gemaak toe S.A vêr voel, nou weer tuys hier. 'Et in Arcadia Ego!' Aan Estelle en Francios Odendal . 12 - 2 -73. Groete en baie dankie van Ferrie en Christo.' on a label on the reverse

Estimated at R120,000 - R160,000

 

oil and acrylic on canvas board

Artwork date: 1972
Signature details: signed and dated bottom right; printed with the artist's name, the date, title, medium and dimensions on a Stevenson Gallery label and inscribed with the artist's name, and 'Spain 1972' and 'Beeld van Afrika, gemaak toe S.A vêr voel, nou weer tuys hier. 'Et in Arcadia Ego!' Aan Estelle en Francios Odendal . 12 - 2 -73. Groete en baie dankie van Ferrie en Christo.' on a label on the reverse

(1)

190 x 71 cm; framed size: 102 x 83 x 4.5 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Cape Town.

Strauss & Co., Johannesburg, South African & International Art, 20 May 2012, lot 282.

Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK:

A torchbearer of the international 20th-century avant-garde, Christo Coetzee was closely associated with the leading experimental artists of Europe and Japan through his affiliation with Galerie Stadler in Paris. Since 1951, he had lived in London, Paris and Spain. He also spent a year in Japan where he worked and exhibited with the famous Gutai group of artists. This association would have a lasting influence on his work, which in 1961 was included in the seminal Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) exhibition; The Art of Assemblage.

By 1972, the ear in which this work was produced, Coetzee was at the peak of his career, an established master of abstract assemblage. The painting, created while he was living in Finestrat, Spain, is a prime example of the artist's Neo-baroque works, made in the period from 1962 – 1974. The artist had lived in Spain since 1965, visiting South Africa periodically.

1972, is also the year Coetzee decided to return to South Africa, to settle in Tulbagh. The concept of this work manifests his decision and is dedicated to his home continent, as the inscription in the artist's hand on the reverse reads:

“Spain 1972, Image of Africa, created when S.A felt far. Now home again. 'Et in Arcadia Ego!”

Text by Marelize van Zyl

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, New Brunswick, Canada; Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan; International Centre for Aesthetic Research, Turin; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town and the Javett Art Centre, Pretoria.

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Auction: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 15th Mar, 2023

 

Kickstarting the 2023 program Aspire Art are delighted to present their first Live sale, 20th Century & Contemporary Art in March. The sale has become a highly anticipated event in the Cape Town auction calendar, showcasing and recognising works by truly exceptional artists from Southern Africa.

Contemporary highlights include seminal works by William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins, Sue Williamson, Johannes Phokela, Zander Blom, Athi-Patra Ruga, Dan Halter and Georgina Gratrix amongst others. International superstars include Pascale Marthine Tayou and Francisco Vidal.  Photographic works feature prominently as a special section and include limited editioned prints by celebrated documentary photographers Alf Kumalo and David Goldblatt alongside incredible photographic works by artists like Mary Sibande, Ayana Jackson, Candice Breitz and the award-winning Mikhael Subotzky.

Leading the sale is a group of important and rare works by South African modern masters, most significantly a selection of expressive drawings by Dumile Feni and paintings by social realist George Pemba. The modern collection is complimented by a landscape painted by J.H. Pierneef and a beautifully rendered gouache by Irma Stern from 1951.

 

Preview: 10 to15 March

Mon-Fri: 8.30-4.30, Saturday: 10-2 or by appointment

 

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IMPORTANT NOTICE:


 

Logistics

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Small (≤60x90x10 cm): R480

Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R960

Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,440

Over-size: Special quote

 

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Collection/delivery 20km>R800≤50km

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Packaging

A flat fee of R100 will be added to the invoice for packaging of unframed works on paper.

 


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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.

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