2nd Jun, 2019 9:00
Modern & Contemporary Art
52
Edoardo Villa (South Africa 1915-2011)
Confrontation, maquette
painted steel
Artwork date: 1978
Signature details: stamped with the artist's name, dated and inscribed with the title on a plaque on the base
Sold for R853,500
Estimated at R600,000 - R900,000
Condition Report
The overall condition is good. Powder-coated, minor surface dirt and very minor scratching and paint loss to the steel base.
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.
painted steel
Artwork date: 1978
Signature details: stamped with the artist's name, dated and inscribed with the title on a plaque on the base
(1)
106 x 105 x 49.5 cm
The sculpture is the maquette for the larger version included in the Rand Merchant Bank Collection.,
Notes:
The immense steel sculpture Confrontation (1978) is among Edoardo Villa’s best and most important works. Almost four metres high, the work marks a major conceptual departure in the sculptor’s approach in the late seventies. Angular, cut steel, vertical forms and sharp planes replaced both the organic, sensual curvature of his earlier figural works, as well as the playfulness of his painted sculpture.It is no accident that Confrontation appears as one of Villa’s major statements after the national trauma of the Soweto uprising of 1976. While never an explicitly political artist, he did make several works that alluded to socio-political circumstances. The Prisoner series in the early 1980s is an example of this, but Confrontation is perhaps his most magisterial comment on the racial conflict and dangerous anger of the high apartheid era, emblematised by 1976. Villa allowed the monumental, outdoor sculpture to rust, emphasizing the ideas of conflict and decay as the grouped figures took on different shades of red-brown and oranges.It has been suggested that the full-scale work is not best served by its current ownership in a corporate collection, that it should be a more prominently public work on view to remind South Africans of the history that the country overcame.The maquette is an accurate version of the finished larger work in every detail barring, obviously, its scale, but also that it is painted black. Both factors enable the viewer to better understand the inherent tensions among the grouped vertical figures; the harsh cuts and planes inclining aggressively towards each other or off at acute, dismissive angles. The drama of the larger finished work is maintained in this version, its allegorical significance undiminished. The maquette presents a rare opportunity for collectors to own a manageably-sized piece of Villa’s legacy and to own a key reference to one of his most important conceptual and political sculptures.
James Sey
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Auction: Modern & Contemporary Art, 2nd Jun, 2019
Aspire Art Auctions presented a focused and insightfully compiled selection of top-quality modern and contemporary art in their latest sale in Johannesburg.
The company’s commitment to innovation led to a bold and signature move in this sale, which featured a special section dedicated to photography. The medium has been traditionally strong among South African artists but has been without a proper focus in the local auction market. The ground-breaking segment featured a wide range of the most important South African photographers, including Pieter Hugo, David Goldblatt, Guy Tillim, and Zanele Muholi. In addition, the sale starred a number of the market’s big signatures – Alexis Preller J.H. Pierneef, Gerard Sekoto, and Maggie Laubser and top contemporary artists including, Diane Victor, and Wim Botha.
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.
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