31st Oct, 2016 20:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
42
Robert Hodgins (United Kingdom 1920-2010)
Totems in a Desert
oil and charcoal on canvas
Signature details: signed, dated and inscribed with the artist's name, the title and medium on the reverse
Sold for R682,080
Estimated at R600,000 - R900,000
Condition Report
Canvas loose, minor surface dirt, otherwise good.
Please note, we are not qualified conservators and these reports give our opinion as to the general condition of the works. We advise that bidders view the lots in person to satisfy themselves with the condition of prospective purchases.
oil and charcoal on canvas
Signature details: signed, dated and inscribed with the artist's name, the title and medium on the reverse
(1)
121.5 x 91.5 cm
Notes:
The totems, or totem poles, that Robert Hodgins references in Totems in a Desert are monuments created by First Peoples of the American Northwest to mark a family’s lineage and proclaim its rights and privileges in the community. Typically, totem poles consist of a vertical accumulation of stylised human and animal forms and representations of supernatural beings. Hodgins has captured the basic elements of these totems but has developed the surrealist implications of their iconography by deliberate reference to Modernist European art. The many eyes of Hodgins’s totems put one in mind of some of Picasso’s portraits; and these features, the dress suit, the shoes and the hats bear unmistakable reference to that prime Surrealist, Rene Magritte: even the unlikely conversation that appears to be taking place between the two totems has a distinct surrealist flavour.
Hodgins’s decision to move his two totems from the forested Pacific Northwest to a bleak desert setting effectively situated them in a favourite scenario in his work, the American West. Hodgins regularly depicted Stetson-wearing, pistol-packing cowboys and be-feathered First People – or ‘Red Indians’ as he would provocatively call them – in desert landscapes of wigwams, candelabrum cacti and endless horizons. This image of the ‘Wild West’, as Hodgins well knew, is a Hollywood creation of Gary Cooper, John Wayne and others, in which good overcame evil, and culture (of a sort) prevailed over a very twentieth-century American understanding of nature. In this mythical world, the contests were clearly defined, and both characters and settings very sharply drawn. Hodgins seized on the surreal dimension of these dramas and delighted in the freedom of invention they provided. The radical stylistic elements of Totems in a Desert – the livid green sky and the uncompromising near-symmetrical placement of the two totems – cleverly complement the absurdist features of its iconography.
Michael Godby
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, 31st Oct, 2016
The line-up for our inaugural sale included an extraordinary selection of art. Works ranged from JH Pierneef’s breathtaking Karoo near Hofmeyer, painted in 1930, to Dan Halter’s 2006, ultraviolet light, Pefection.
Sculptures varied from Edoardo Villa’s acknowledgment of French artist, Aristide Maillol to Wim Botha’s heads that draw on classical and contemporary sources and Ed Young’s cheeky nude self-portrait. Also included were impressive photographs by award-winners, David Goldblatt and Pieter Hugo.
The auction set an impressive standard, with an outstanding sell-through rate of over 75% across 121 lots. The top lot of the sale was Alexis Preller’s exceptional Profile Figures (Mirrored Image), selling for over R7-million. Record sales were achieved for Villa, Goldblatt, and Hugo, amongst others.
Viewing
Friday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 4 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.