A smorgasbord of artistic brilliance for Aspire Art’s final auction exhibition of the year
By CityLife Arts Writer
What’s significant about Aspire Art’s superb collection for their final auction exhibition of 2022 is that it offers gallery hopping art lovers a chance to enjoy a solid body of work from major artists who have worked across multiple media – a smorgasbord of oils and gouache, charcoal and ink, bronze and paper, photography, print and tapestry.
The exhibition – which opens to the public for five days only from Friday 25 November to Wednesday 30 November 2022 – features a range of Modern and Contemporary artists, but a spotlight on three particularly seminal artists – Irma Stern, William Kentridge and Zanele Muholi – offers a strong narrative of South African art that spans nine decades.
Irma Stern’s Anemones, painted in 1938, was donated by the artist to a raffle organised to raise war funds. As a German-Jew, Stern was acutely aware of the growing anti-Semitism in the country and this magnificent flower piece was painted at a moment when Stern’s life was about to shift dramatically. Two additional works in gouache, Boats and Birds painted in 1957 and Boats from her Zanzibari period, reflect her experience of light and colour in sun-drenched landscapes and hazy coastal settings.
While the rest of the world celebrates William Kentridge’s major retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Aspire Art brings a high quality collection of his work to the market. Featuring signature charcoal drawings alongside collages, tapestry, prints and sculptures, this body of work is exemplary of Kentridge’s artistic brilliance and skill. The large bronze simply titled, &, is a three-dimensional rendition of an ampersand. A highlight is the large-scale tapestry, Argument from Authority (Charon at the event Horizon) – accompanied by the ink drawing on which the woven work is based. A large-scale early charcoal drawing from 1988, Urbanise, describes Kentridge’s understanding of landscape as “essentially urban”, while Arched Landscape, Dancer in Red Sash, Entirely Not So and two self-portraits complete the works in this collection.
Fast forward to current work, Aspire Art brings a magnificent collection of Zanele Muholi artworks to auction. Included are two large-scale photographs: Aphelile X, Durban (2020) and Thuthuka I, San Francisco (2022) – a never before seen photograph from the Somnyama Ngonyama series. Also on offer is a magnificent bronze sculpture, Muholi II, the first edition of this new body of work to be offered on auction.
“It’s a perfectly wonderful snapshot of Modern and Contemporary South African art – all in one room – and well worth a visit,” comments Kholisa Thomas, Aspire Art Client Service Director, “bolstered by magnificent works from artists such as Dumile Feni, Cecil Skotnes, Mustafa Maluka, David Koloane, Norman Catherine, and a rare Robert Hodgins self portrait.”