25th Mar, 2018 18:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
139
William Kentridge (South Africa 1955-)
aquatint and drypoint etching|signed and numbered Proof 3/3 in pencil in the margin|
aquatint and drypoint etching
Signature details: signed and numbered Proof 3/3 in pencil in the margin
aquatint and drypoint etching
Signature details: signed and numbered Proof 3/3 in pencil in the margin
(1)
sheet size: 120 x 91 cm
Notes:
William Kentridge’s prints of irises show his skill as a draughtsman to the very highest degree. This print, taken from a single plate that would be used along with others to create a composite image is, in some ways, a ‘showpiece’, demonstrating the artist’s ability to deftly define line and form within the rectangular structure of the image plane.The seemingly coincidental and ancillary lines that surround the flower speak of movement and a rejection of status in the classical still-life, while the delicate but massive forms that make up the plant propel the viewer into the core subject matter.The work has an obvious link to the iris painting of Vincent van Gogh, but Kentridge, unlike Van Gogh, tends to see them as singular entities, removed from their ground and thus presented more as a token or gift, much as a cut flower might be. Traditionally symbolic of faith, hope, wisdom and admiration, the iris, in its exquisite beauty, stands alone as an object of contemplation. I would suggest that the subject matter, with its seeming simplicity (but as the artist demonstrates here, also complex linear composition) is one that Kentridge sees as a drawing challenge.In another context he has written:We need the terrain of the half-solved, the half-solvable riddle, the distance between knowing and not knowing, and being aware of our own limits of understanding, the limits of our memory, but prodding the memory nonetheless. (Kentridge 2014: 18)This game with the self shows one way of addressing the riddle, a magisterial one, that demonstrates facility which, like the unexpected gift of a blossom, can literally take one’s breath away.
Andrew Lamprecht
Sources:
Kentridge, William. 2014. Six Drawing Lessons: The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press).
You can place an absentee bid through our website - please sign in to your account on our website to proceed.
In the My Account tab you can also enter telephone bids, or email bids@aspireart.net to log telephone/absentee bids.
Join us on the day of the auction to follow and bid in real-time.
The auction will be live-streamed with an audio-visual feed.
Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 25th Mar, 2018
Aspire Art Auctions brought a unique offering to their second auction in the Cape allowing buyers to add quality and rarity to their collections.
Headlining the success of the auction was as a rare intaglio by Alexis Preller, Gold Angel (Arêté), which sold for R4 638 400. The piece was part of Preller’s last body of work shown at the Goodman Gallery in 1975, and took its place alongside the sale of his mid-period work, the exquisite small study Still life with Vase and Carved Head, which sold for R811 720. Other auction highlights included work by contemporary artists Robert Hodgins, Athi-Patra Ruga, Zander Blom, and Penny Siopis and sculpture by Deborah Bell, Willem Boshoff, Wim Botha, and Amadlozi alumnus Sydney Kumalo.
Viewing
Friday 23 March 2018 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 24 March 2018 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 25 March 2018 | 10 am – 3 pm
HIGHLIGHTS
Currency conversions are based on the exchange rate at the auction's start time and date. Bidders should verify the current exchange rate on the day of the sale. All invoices and payments must be made in South African Rands.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Logistics
While we endeavour to assist our Clients as much as possible, we require artwork(s) to be delivered and/or collected from our premises by the Client. In instances where a Client is unable to deliver or collect artwork(s), Aspire staff is available to assist in this process by outsourcing the services to one of our preferred Service Providers. The cost for this will be for the Client’s account, with an additional Handling Fee of 15% charged on top of the Service Provider’s invoice.
Aspire Art provides inter-company transfer services for its Clients between Johannesburg and Cape Town branches. These are based on the size of the artwork(s), and charged as follows:
Small (≤60x90x10 cm): R480
Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R960
Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,440
Over-size: Special quote
Should artwork(s) be collected or delivered to/from Clients by Aspire Art directly, the following charges will apply:
Collection/delivery ≤20km: R400
Collection/delivery 20km>R800≤50km
Collection/delivery >50km: Special quote
Packaging
A flat fee of R100 will be added to the invoice for packaging of unframed works on paper.
International Collectors Shipping Package
For collectors based outside South Africa who purchase regularly from Aspire Art’s auctions in South Africa, it does not make sense to ship artworks individually or per auction and pay shipping every time you buy another work. Consequently, we have developed a special collectors’ shipping package to assist in reducing shipping costs and the constant demands of logistics arrangements.
For buyers from outside South Africa, we will keep the artworks you have purchased in storage during the year and then ship all the works you have acquired during the year together, so the shipping costs are reduced. At the end of the annual period, we will source various quotes to get you the best price, and ship all your artworks to your desired address at once.
Aspire Art will arrange suitable storage during, and cost-effective shipping at the end, of the annual period.
Collections
Collections are by appointment, with 24-hours’ notice
Clients are requested to contact the relevant office and inform Aspire Art of which artwork(s) they would like to collect, and allow a 24-hour window for Aspire Art’s logistics department to retrieve the artwork(s) and prepare them for collection.
Handling Fee
Aspire Art charges a 15% Handling Fee on all Logistics, Framing, Restoration and Conservation arranged by Aspire.