12/07/2024
Creative Bonds
South African Artists and the International Avant-Garde
Aspire Art's Works on Paper Timed-Online auction features a collection of works by South African masters alongside significant pieces by their international peers including pieces by Victor Vasarely, Antoni Tàpies, Joan Miró, Gerard Richter, Henry Moore, and more.
11/07/2024
Caring for Your Artworks on Paper
Top Tips and Purchase Considerations
Artworks on paper, whether they are drawings, prints, watercolours, or pastels, offer a unique and delicate beauty that requires careful attention and maintenance. Proper care and informed purchasing decisions can ensure that your paper-based art remains vibrant and intact for many years. Here are some top tips for caring for your artworks on paper and key considerations when buying them.
05/07/2024
The Female Gaze Takes Center Stage
Current Achievements of Contemporary South African Artists
The month of July welcomes a new special collection of works for our Works on Paper Timed-Online auction. As a women-led auction house, the Aspire Art team is excited to present a collection of artworks by contemporary women artists shaping our artistic landscape locally and abroad.
The following artists have showcased their resilience and brilliance in the contemporary creative spheres. With a special feature of a work on paper by three artists in our current auction, we delve into their most recent achievements:
Gabrielle Goliath
A multidisciplinary artist, known for her sensitive negotiations and conceptually distilled understandings of complex social discourses, specifically in relation to gendered and sexualised violence, Gabrielle Goliath boasts an extraordinary career. Participating in numerous, prominent local and international exhibitions, she has also won multiple awards, notably the Future Generation Art Prize – Special Prize (2019), the Standard Bank Young Artist Award (2019), and the Institut Français, Afrique en Créations Prize at the Bamako Biennale (2017).
Currently undertaking a PhD at the Institute for Creative Arts (UCT), Goliath has recently featured at two prestigious Biennales. The first being in 2023 at the Sharjah Biennial 15, which took place in the United Arab Emirates from 7 February to 11 June. The 30th-anniversary edition of the Biennial was titled Thinking Historically in the Present and was conceived by the late Okwui Enwezor and curated by Hoor Al Qasimi.
Secondly, Goliath’s multi-channel video & sound cycles installation, Personal Accounts (2024), features at this year’s 60th International Art Exhibition for the Venice Biennale Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, and open to the public until the 24th of November.
Installation view of Personal Accounts, 2024-, multi-cycle video & sound installation, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, La Biennale di Venezia (2024), photos by Luc Meneghel, courtesy of the artist’s website.
Lady Skollie
Lot 42: Lady Skollie, Ikwe |, 2019. Estimate: R 35 000 - 45 000
Laura Windvogel, known as the artist and activist Lady Skollie, creates otherworldly images as her work delves into themes of gender, sex and the politics of lust and identity. A young, exciting artist, Skollie is taking the South African art world by storm, both within and outside of the gallery/museum space. Notable achievements include being part of the 2018 edition of OkayAfrica's 100 Women, an annual list which honours women across ten different fields for their achievements; commissioned to design the new R5 coin to commemorate 25 years of constitutional democracy in South Africa (2019); announced as the 10th recipient of the prestigious FNB Art Prize (2020) and receiving the prestigious Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 2022. Currently, Lady Skollie is showing at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town. Titled Groot Gat, the exhibition looks into the intersections of fantasy, history and indigenousness and takes place until the 15th of September this year.
Installation view of the Groot Gat at Norval Foundation, courtesy of their website.
Penny Siopis
Lot 91: Penny Siopis, Chambre Cinquante-six | Estimate: R 15 000 - 20 000
With a career spanning more than four decades, the cherished South African artist Penny Siopis, has been channelling what she refers to as the ‘poetics of vulnerability’ through engaging with topics such as migration, memory, body politics and the relations between the human and non-human through the mediums of painting, film/video, photography and installation.
Marking her first museum retrospective in Europe, Siopis participated in Part III of What If Women Ruled the World? at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens (EMST), Greece until November of this year.
What if Women Ruled the World? is a unique program that has exclusively featured works by women artists. This unprecedented initiative to dedicate a year of multiple exhibitions by artists who identify as female, both for their permanent and temporary exhibitions, marks a first for a major public museum.
Views of the exhibition courtesy of the artist’s Instagram page
Other exciting contemporary female artists in our Works on Paper Timed-Online auction include Ruby Swinney, Diane Victor, Katharien de Villiers, Mia Chaplin, Grace Cross and many more!
LEFT: Lot 35: Ruby Swinney, Seeker | Estimate: R 30 000 - 40 000
RIGHT: Lot 27: Diane Victor, Portrait 1 (from the Smoke Drawings: Missing Children Series (Sacmec))
LEFT: Lot 30: Katharien de Villiers, Pet the Python | Estimate: R 7 000 - 10 000
RIGHT: Lot 43: Grace Cross, Childhood Blanket | Estimate: R 12 000 - 16 000
Auction
Works on Paper
4 - 16 July 2024
Discover more from Works on Paper
SALE ENQUIRIES
Cape Town: +27 21 422 5100 | amy@aspireart.net
Johannesburg: +27 10 109 7989 | carina@aspireart.net
05/07/2024
The Whimsical World of Beezy Bailey
Explore a magical collection of Works on Paper
Working in a variety of media, including printmaking, painting and sculpture, Beezy Bailey has been a practising artist for over 30 years and has held over 20 one-man shows in London, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Explore his whimsical and fantastical, world – rich in creative imagination – and bursting with delight, in a series of works featured in Aspire's Works on Paper Timed-Online Auction from 4-16 July.
27/06/2024
SALE RESULTS: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 19 June 2024
Striking Results and New Records Achieved at Auction in Johannesburg
The recent offering by Aspire Art in Johannesburg reinforced the company's continued success in its specialised art segments and welcomed collectors’ optimism and confidence in the market. Featuring a strong collection of contemporary artworks as well as significant pieces from the 20th century, the auction further focused on women artists who performed well and debuted international works including a famous print by David Hockney which set a new auction record.
13/06/2024
Aspire Art presents David Hockney’s Hotel Acatlán: Two Weeks Later, 1985.
We are thrilled to offer on auction, for the first time in South Africa, Hockney’s impressive Hotel Acatlán: Two Weeks Later (1985) as part of the collection of our upcoming evening sale in Johannesburg on 19 June at 7 pm.
12/06/2024
Irma Stern: Dahlias and Fruit
A magnificent still-life from 1960 on auction at Aspire on 19 June
Aspire Art is thrilled to bring to auction, on the 19 June, Stern's Dahlias and Fruit – a wonderful still-life alive with colour and bursting with expressive energy.
06/06/2024
Artist Focus: Penny Siopis
Aspire Art brings two magnificent Siopis works to auction on 19 June
Following the recent opening of Penny Siopis' first retrospective in Europe, For Dear Life. A Retrospective, on the 17th of May at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Aspire Art is thrilled to bring to auction, two fantastic works by the artist.
06/06/2024
Women on the Rise: Celebrating Female Artists
Aspire Art Celebrates Women Making Strides on the Secondary Market
Aspire Art’s upcoming auction on 19 June mirrors the market’s burgeoning recognition of women in the art world. With a special focus on South African artists who are redefining the landscape, this auction celebrates the brilliance of female artists.
17/05/2024
Trevor Coleman
A Beloved South African Painter.
Trevor Coleman works feature on Aspire Art's 20th/21st Century classics sale
16/05/2024
The Vibrant World of Ardmore Ceramics
Celebrating Collaborative Creativity
Through its blend of artistic excellence and social impact, Ardmore Ceramics has carved out a unique niche in the global art scene. Each piece from the studio is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of South Africa and the talent and dedication of the artisans who bring these creations to life.
14/05/2024
Peter Clarke
Creating Visual Narratives Through the Decades
Aspire Art presents in its 20th/21st Century Classics Timed-Online auction, a collection of works by Peter Clarke from key periods within his personal life and artistic career.
12/04/2024
Tretchikoff's Eternal Palette: The Timeless Dance of Colours
Tales that go beyond the canvas, stories of chance meetings and moments frozen in time – Aspire Art is excited to bring to market exquisite works by prolific artist, the one and only Vladimir Tretchikoff.
11/04/2024
Artist Focus: Mashudu Nevhutalu
Aspire Art features a work by Johannesburg-born artist Mashudu Nevhutalu (1992), who reworks found photographs into evocative paintings, exploring shared memories and fluid histories on their current Contemporary Online sale.
09/04/2024
Legacy of Visionaries: Celebrating the New Group Artists and Their Global Impact
Taking Flight: A Selection of Works from the Phoenix Collection showcases exquisite pieces that transcend expression and celebrate artists that have made significant strides in South African art history. The artists featured highlight the transformative impact of the New Group movement, with a notable number also affirming their global impact having graced the prestigious halls of international biennales.
27/02/2024
Marlene Dumas: Existential Doubt
An Early Painting that Shows the Artist’s Confidence with Subject and Paint
Aspire Art is excited to bring to market an early painting by internationally renowned artist Marlene Dumas.
19/02/2024
Notes on The Legacy of Photography in South Africa: Past and Present
Aspire Art proudly celebrates and honours the heritage of photography by presenting a collection of works of notable photographers who have been witnessing, documenting and advocating through their lens in our current Timed-Online sale, Photographs & Editions.
14/02/2024
Goats, A Thematic Metaphor in Sam Nhlengethwa’s work
Uncover the symbolism in Sam Nhlengethwa's series of goat etchings featuring in Aspire Art's Timed-Online Auction, Photographs & Editions, now open for bidding from 8 February to 20 February 2024.
01/12/2023
The World Observed
Rarely seen moments of play and recreation in Dumile Feni’s drawings
A wonderful selection of Dumile Feni drawings, revealing rarely-seen moments of playfulness and recreation, feature in Aspire Art's timed Online auction, FIESTA: Art & Collectables. Open for bidding from 28 November to 5 December 2023.
23/11/2023
IN PRIVATE: Artworks from the Estate of the late Andrew da Conceicao
Aspire Art proudly presents a selection of work from the collection of the late Andrew da Conceicao. The intimate auction brings 33 artworks – collected in private – to a wider collecting audience, to embrace, enjoy and celebrate a gallerist who made a remarkable contribution to South African art.
15/11/2023
Capturing Johannesburg
David Goldblatt on auction, 16 November
A significant set of David Goldblatt works taken in the 1970s and 80s are on offer at Aspire on the 16 November
09/09/2023
Auction Highlights: David Goldblatt
Aspire Art brings a unique collection of Goldblatt's to auction
Aspire Art is thrilled to bring a significant collection of David Goldblatt works to auction on Wednesday, 13 September in Cape Town.
07/09/2023
Auction Highlight: Gerard Sekoto
Aspire Art highlights rare Sekoto at auction
Aspire Art is delighted to present an early masterpiece, Street Corner by Gerard Sekoto as the leading artwork in their upcoming live auction taking place on Wednesday, 13 September in Cape Town.
25/07/2023
Through the Lens
Alf Kumalo and Muhammad Ali's Enduring Friendship
Aspire Art is thrilled to offer two memorable photographs of Muhammad Ali, taken by Alf Kumalo during the 1970s on their Timed-Online auction, Photographs + Editions, open from 20 July to 1 August 2023. A testament to the friendship between the men, the images not only stand as a visual document – but speak a thousand words – of the comradeship between the photographer and the boxer.
22/06/2023
IMPRESSIONS: Works from the Marilyn Martin Collection
Aspire Art is honoured to offer art lovers a rare opportunity to acquire works of art from the private collection of the late Marilyn Martin. Included are works by Walter Battiss, Lisa Brice, Peter Clarke, Dan Halter, Louis Jansen van Vuuren, William Kentridge, Azaria Mbatha, Fanlo Mkhize, Brett Murray, Dan Rakgoathe and Cecily Sash amongst others. The sale is open from 22 June to 4 July 2023.
22/06/2023
Dumile Feni's Passion for Drawing
Discover the Enduring Passion of Dumile Feni: From Childhood Sketches to Artistic Mastery
Although Dumile Feni worked in different disciplines including painting and sculpture, drawing was the artistic talent he engaged in for the longest time. The artist began creating drawings from the age of 6 and it was to become a most fundamental and well-loved part of his practice. Aspire Art's current Timed-Online auction, 20th/21st Century Classics, includes a selection of delicate sketches from the collection of the late Desmond Fisher.
30/05/2023
Auction Highlight: William Kentridge
Aspire Art highlights Kentridge editions at auction
On the 7 June 2023 Aspire Art will offer 11 exceptional William Kentridge editioned prints at auction on their 20th Century and Contemporary sale in Johannesburg. Highlighting the artist’s practice in printmaking over nearly 3 decades the collection provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on the importance of printmaking in William Kentridge’s practice and the early prevalence of the technique in his artmaking.
26/05/2023
Auction Highlight: Alexis Preller
Aspire Art unveils newly found Adam, by artist Alexis Preller for Auction in June 2023.
Aspire Art is delighted to present a mesmerising painting Adam, from 1972, by the lauded South African artist Alexis Preller as the leading lot in their upcoming live auction of 20th Century and Contemporary Art which will take place on the 7th of June, in Johannesburg.
14/04/2023
Think Big When Collecting
A Case for Larger than Life Artworks: Conrad Botes
Aspire Art Cataloguer & Researcher Micaela Wentzel emphasises large artworks that make a statement, elevate space and capture attention.
13/04/2023
A Pop to the Collection
Discover the Bold and Graphic Works of Motel Seven, Conrad Botes, Asha Zero, and Mr. Brainwash
Aspire Art, Cataloguer & Researcher, Mtha Poni looks at the elements of Pop Art in the Contemporary Art Timed-Online Auction collection