14th Feb, 2020 20:00
Aspire X PIASA | Modern & Contemporary African Art
44
Cecily Sash (South Africa 1924–2019)
Birds (from the Migration series)
oil on canvas laid down on board
Artwork date: 1975
Signature details: signed and dated top right
Sold for R204,840
Estimated at R150,000 - R200,000
oil on canvas laid down on board
Artwork date: 1975
Signature details: signed and dated top right
(1)
122 x 182 cm
Notes:
By the mid-70s Cecil Sash, already an established artist exhibiting locally and internationally, both independently and as one of the Amadlozi Group and a significant educator at Wits University’s Fine Art Department, had developed a confident style and iconography of abstracted forms based on perceptual reality. Travels in the UK and USA during the mid-60s on an Oppenheimer Grant had exposed her to the prevailing trends in abstraction. Inspired by Op artists such as Bridget Riley, she forged a unique style of intellectual abstraction infused with metaphysical ideas. In this powerful composition, birds are arrayed across the canvas in a serried row, forming a rhythmic pattern with a strong iconic quality. These are no naturalistic creatures, but rather imaginary birds. Their feet rise from plinths not unlike the magnificent heraldic birds of Great Zimbabwe, suggesting symbols of power, strength or freedom.Typically, Sash stripped her paintings of saturated colours to focus, as here, on muted greys and ochres accentuated with black and white. Set against a ground of intense, prevailing blue, the birds are encircled with pink ribbons, to which each responds uniquely. Her design sophistication was acknowledged in 1972 when the famous Aubusson Studio in France commissioned Sash to produces a design of birds for an edition of six tapestries.
Emma Bedford
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Auction: Aspire X PIASA | Modern & Contemporary African Art, 14th Feb, 2020
Aspire Art Auctions partnered with Paris-based house Piasa, to introduce an Africa-focused auction presenting some of the best examples of modern and contemporary art produced on this continent. This was the first time an African and European auction house partnered to present a sale of African art, in Africa, for a global audience.
The sale included 139 artists representing 27 countries from Africa and the diaspora and spotlighted key collecting segments from 20th century modernism to contemporary production and photography. The lead-lot, Marlene Dumas’ Oktober 1973 achieved a stellar R7,055,600 well above its high estimate of R3-5 million. Also on offer were some of the most in-demand African artists including Chéri Samba, Aboudia Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, Gareth Nyandoro, Mustafa Maluka and William Kentridge.
HIGHLIGHTS
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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.
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Small (≤60x90x10 cm): R480
Medium (≤90x120x15 cm): R960
Large (≤120x150x20 cm): R1,440
Over-size: Special quote
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Collection/delivery ≤20km: R400
Collection/delivery 20km>R800≤50km
Collection/delivery >50km: Special quote
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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.
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