Two important drawings by William Kentridge, an artist revered globally, at Strauss & Co auction in Johannesburg
· Strauss & Co offering nine work by William Kentridge
· Two high-value drawings from international projects in 2002 and 2005
· Important etching made in 1997 with master printer Jack Shirreff
· Strauss & Co is the leading reseller globally of works by Kentridge
JOHANNESBURG – In March 2009, when Strauss & Co held its inaugural live auction of important South African art in Johannesburg, the catalogue included two works on paper by the acclaimed contemporary artist William Kentridge. Both works found eager buyers. In the ensuing 15 years, as Kentridge’s astonishingly diverse practice has gained ever wider international acclaim, Strauss & Co has emerged as the premier reseller of this Johannesburg artist, according to London-based art intelligence consultancy ArtTactic.
The nine works on paper by Kentridge in Strauss & Co’s forthcoming Online Day Sale and live virtual Evening Sale, scheduled for 28 May 2024, endorses this reputation. Leading the offering are two high-value drawings from outstanding international projects produced at the turn of the millennium, as well as an important etching by Kentridge made in 1997.
The earlier of the two drawings is from 2002 and depicts a World War One conflict landscape (estimate R 3 000 000 – 4 000 000 (USD 165 859 – 221 145). It derives from Kentridge’s 2002 stop-animation film Zeno Writing, which combines studio-made charcoal and pastel drawings with contemporary and archival film footage. The other drawing is Preparing the Flute (estimate R 3 500 000 – 4 000 000 (USD 193 502 – 221 145) and is linked to Kentridge’s remarkable 2005 production of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute (1791).