12th Nov, 2017 17:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
69
Edoardo Villa (Italy/South Africa 1915-2011)
Reclining Figure
bronze with a verdigris patina
Signature details: signed and numbered 5/6
Sold for R1,023,120
Estimated at R900,000 - R1,200,000
bronze with a verdigris patina
Signature details: signed and numbered 5/6
(1)
119 x 75 x 163 cm
Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg.
Notes:
Edoardo Villa’s progression as a sculptor took a decisive turn in the 1960s with his association with the Amadlozi group in 1963. His long-standing interest in realising an amalgam of African forms with an awareness of currents in European stylistic abstraction, which the Amadlozi group shared, is often remarked on. It is also the case that the incorporation of an African sensibility in his work is in some ways counter-intuitive. One way of understanding this is bound up in his material choices. The permanence and monumentality of steel, bronze and concrete, his characteristic material choices, imbue his sculpture with a timelessness and objecthood. This contrasts with much traditional African sculpture, which is typically in wood, a much more mutable and transient form.Perhaps Villa was aware of this contrast when he turned, in the late 1960s, to figural bronze work, of which Reclining Figure is a beautiful example. Here, the angular abstraction of his work in steel is replaced by a much more anthropomorphic visual interpretation, to which the sensuous curvature of bronze is well-suited. His unique take on the cultural mix of African and European aesthetic styles is realised here in the striking contrast between feminine and masculine elements. Hard, flat surfaces are abutted by pronounced curves and roundness, the plasticity of which is undeniably erotic and earthy. This earthiness is accentuated by the natural verdigris patina of the work, gleaned by long exposure to the
elements. It is clear from this that the work was intended as an outdoor sculpture, as well as from the satisfyingly organic planes and volumes it presents.
James Sey
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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
HIGHLIGHTS
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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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