6th Mar, 2024 18:00
20th Century & Contemporary Art
60
Kevin Roberts (South Africa 1965-2009)
Lady and the Unicorn
oil on panel
Artwork date: 1997
Signature details: signed and dated bottom left; printed with the artist's name, the title, medium and dimensions on a label on the reverse
Sold for R100,000
Estimated at R120,000 - R160,000
oil on panel
Artwork date: 1997
Signature details: signed and dated bottom left; printed with the artist's name, the title, medium and dimensions on a label on the reverse
(1)
110 x 110 cm; framed size: 130 x 130 x 3 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Pretoria.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
South African surrealist painter Kevin Roberts was born in Rustenburg in the North West province. He completed a National Diploma in Fine Arts at Technikon Pretoria in 1988, followed by a Higher Diploma which he achieved with distinction.
Skilfully, creating picturesque, dream landscapes filled with recurring symbols and motifs, Roberts’ works almost always include images of female figures which become non-literal carriers of meaning. They are placed in landscapes amongst nature, alongside birds, cattle, fish, horses, or as is the case in this work, centaurs.
With his distinctive style rendered in invisible brushstrokes with muted colours in large planes accompanied by flattening line, the artist paints tableaus that are uniquely serene in character. Creating a heightened sense of mystery and intrigue through the careful use of rhythmic pattern and obscure symbols, what makes Kevin Roberts truly exceptional is the way in which he allows the viewer enough room to make their own interpretation. Standing before the large-scale Lady and the Unicorn, one is confronted with the exceptional beauty of the work and skill of the artist but is also offered boundless possibilities to be drawn in and engage – and to create endless meaning out of the intricate image of a woman, unicorn horn, tea, centaurs, leaves and a feather set against a vast field of fine and meticulously painted grass.
COLLECTOR’S NOTE
- In 1995, Roberts was crowned the winner of the Absa L’Atelier Award following which he spent several months in France, at the famous Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
- Important fairs and biennales include the 1stJohannesburg Biennale in 1995 and the Art London fair in Chelsea in 1999.
COLLECTIONS:
The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably the Sasol Art Collection, Johannesburg; ABSA Bank Collection, Johannesburg; Javett Art Centre, Pretoria; Telkom Art Collection, Johannesburg and the Sanlam Art Collection Bellville.
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: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 6th Mar, 2024
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.