4th Mar, 2021 19:00
Modern & Contemporary Art
55
Robert Hodgins|South African 1920–2010|Songs my mother taught me
oil on canvas| signed, dated and inscribed with the title on the reverse|circa 1983
NA
Sold for R527,625
Estimated at R450,000 - R550,000
Condition Report
The overall condition is excellent. Colours are vibrant and stable.
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.
NA
(1)
81 x 61.5 cm; Framed size: 85 x 65.5 x 4 cm
Notes:
Songs my mother taught me is a song for voice and piano written in 1880 by Antonín Dvořák, the Czech composer of Romantic music. It is the fourth of seven songs from his cycle Gypsy Songs. Passionate about his homeland and its traditional music, he often employed the rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia into his music. Its bittersweet melodies evoke memories of times when mothers might have sung to us to lull us to sleep, or perhaps sung to express their own joys, or to mitigate life’s sorrows. A mother, dressed in a colourful shift—as timeless in the flapper era as it would have been in Mary Quant’s 60s, or even today—observes a boy, engaging in different activities— skipping, twirling a hoop and balancing on a high wire which is simultaneously the string of a bright kite that swirls across the sky: a line that is both dangerous and playful. The likelihood that this is an autobiographical work is very compelling. Robert Hodgins was a great painter, able to turn the stuff of ordinary life into art and poetry – which is why he is so beloved. Born just after the first World War, to a single mother, Hodgins would have had a tough life were it not for his indomitable spirit, great intelligence and compassion, and his love of art, literature, theatre and music which enrich his paintings and make them so seductive. Here he manages to create a playful scene which—at the same time—suggests that each is isolated in their own activities and reveries. Much as we might try to protect our loved ones, we will inevitably have to trust that they can make their many and various ways in the world. The painting predates Marlon Brando’s autobiography of the same title which, one cannot help thinking, would have delighted the artist.
Emma Bedford
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: Modern & Contemporary Art, 4th Mar, 2021
Aspire Art Auctions’ Cape Town sale proved that the market for African and international art continues to thrive despite the pandemic.
The top lot by value was Irma Stern’s Dahlias and fruit, one of the most outstanding paintings from her late period, which achieved an impressive R5,234,800. Marlene Dumas scored a sensational hit when her early painting, Score, sold for R3,414,000, and stellar results were also achieved for celebrated artists; William Kentridge, George Pemba, Gerard Sekoto and Peter Clarke, amongst others, with world records at auction set for contemporary artists Turiya Magadlela and Gerhard Marx.
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.