Continued strength of the African art market in 2022

With 6,381 lots sold and 53 sold for over R1M, Strauss & Co experienced a continued expansion of art collecting across the African continent and increased global participation with 11% new buyers at auction houses, participating for the first time in 2022 and a 60% increase in international purchases in the last five years.

Strauss & Co. annual sales demonstrate audience growth:

• Buyers from 48 countries participated in the sales.
• 60% increase in international buyers over 5 years.
• 11% new buyers in 2022.
• 2022 auction sales total R354M.
• 6381 lots sold.
• Demand for contemporary and continuous reassessment of modern artists from Africa.
• Best Selling Work of Art – by Irma Stern dakar woman1938.

“With a very thriving regional market and continued focus on African art by the international art market, Strauss & Co have furthered their mission to engage with collectors by offering the widest range of art to the African market.,” saying frank kilbournPresident of Strauss & Co.

“With a strong slate of upcoming activities, we are pleased that, along with strong sales and a growing customer base, we remain committed to digital innovation and the educational and outreach programs that have always complemented our activities..”

Highlights of 2022

• Demand for modern and contemporary artists at Strauss & Co continued as a focused and curated auction that included a focus on Surrealism in May, Abstract Art in June, and Sculpture in November. Sales dedicated during 2022 to artists Irma Stern, Robert Hodgins, William Kentridge, and JH Pierneef saw new and established regional and international buyers acquire works by artists who are currently undergoing significant reappraisal.
• Strauss is the leading platform in the art market for the secondary sale of works of William Kentridge, who received critical acclaim for showings in the United Kingdom and the United States. Other artists who were highly sought after included Amoako Boafo, Cinga Samson, Igshaan Adams, Yinka Shonibare Y michael armitage among many whose secondary market values ​​are steadily growing. Zanele Muholi Y Athi Patra Ruga are other names to see.

• Works by women artists were headlined by an inaugural sale dedicated to irma stern for a total of R37M. The main lot was a 1941 portrait of a clairvoyant in a pink headscarf from her golden age that sold for 7.5 million rand, also the main lot of the year. Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Whose job Desires over needs appeared in Strauss’s acclaimed exhibition on Figuration and Portia Zvavahera Whose work, Pakatangira Rudo (Where love began)), sold for R352,780 in 2022 have also received increased attention.

• Strauss’s entry into the wine The auction market continued to expand with successful sales featuring wines from Europe and the ‘New World’, as well as auctions dedicated to Cape heritage wines and emerging wine brands, including organic and biodynamic producers. Highlights included rare deals and verticals from Kanonkop, Klein Constantia, Meerlust, Mullineux Y vilafonte. A rare pre-Rubicon Meerlust Red, 1978, sold for R15 242.
• Sale of decorative arts and collections included a sale focused on potter makers and collectors, Juliet Armstrong, Hilda Ditchburn and Hylton Nel.
• Online sales, which takes place every month, also contributed R63.7M in 2022 and included two lots of NFT wine totaling R2.3M. (Wine of Constanza and Rubicon)
• Non-sale exhibitions, educational events and international reach. included Giving Direction: Figuration, past and present in Cape Town and Invisible Dream Connections: Dorothy Kay and Mary Sibande in Johannesburg. International collaborations including the African Art Forum at the Venice Biennale and the launch of a new business news digest, the African Art Newsletter, produced in conjunction with Art Market Minds.

LOOKING TOWARDS 2023

The new Strauss offices in Cape Town opened this month to welcome visitors to Brickfield Canvas, the creative hub and technology campus located at 35 Brickfield Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. Strauss will also launch a new open access art Club on the first Tuesday of each month, alternating between Cape Town and Johannesburg to provide the opportunity to welcome new people to learn from specialists and enjoy hospitality in person.

• A special public exposure it will take place in February celebrating the work of leading modernist sculptors, Ezrom Legae and Sydney Kumalo. The exhibition precedes the publication of the first catalog raisonné dedicated to these two internationally renowned South African artists.

• To coincide with a busy arts month in Cape Town in February, Strauss & Co is also announcing its sponsorship and support for the launch of a new Africa Art Business Conference, the first event of its kind on the continent. The event is co-sponsored by the founder of Africa First, serge tiroche and will take place on Wednesday 15 February and will cover the following topics: Panel 1 – The African Art Market Now: Art Ecosystems for a Sustainable Future and Panel 2 – Trends in African Art Collecting and What’s Next for Contemporary Art ?
• A new sales format launches next month –Curatorial Voices: Modern and Contemporary Art from Africa takes place on February 28 and features selected works by six leading curators from major art centers. Led by Strauss Sales Co-Directors kate fellens Y kirsty college curators Dana Endundo FerreiraFounder and CEO of Pavilion54 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Heba Elkayal, Independent curator and art historian, based between the UK and Egypt, danda jaroljmek Y Ana KariukiCircle Art Gallery, Kenya, Valeria Kabov, director, First Floor Gallery Harare and South Africa’s kimberly cunningham, founder of Cunningham Contemporary, will present a sale showcasing a wide selection of modern and contemporary art. Early highlights include works by contemporary artists. Pierre-Christophe Gam, Cyrus Kabiru, Zanele Muholi, Simphiwe Ndzube, Thierry Oussou, Athi-Patra Ruga, Cinga Samson Y Tafadzwa Tega.

• Proceeds from the sale will fund a new internship program in the Primary/Secondary art market. The first of its kind in Africa, it provides opportunities for a new generation of art specialists and curators by offering experience at the Strauss auction house in Cape Town or Johannesburg and exposure to primary market galleries such as First Floor Gallery Harare, which has agreed to host the selected entrant at its Harare location.
• Also coming up on the Strauss curated auction schedule in March is a sale in Cape Town with a special section dedicated to women artists.

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