4th Mar, 2021 19:00
Modern & Contemporary Art
82
Maggie Laubser (South Africa 1886-1973)
Birds Against Seascape
oil on board
Artwork date: 1953
Signature details: signed bottom right
Sold for R455,200
Estimated at R400,000 - R600,000
Condition Report
The overall condition is good. Small loss of paint on the top left edge, paint is stable and vibrant.
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 on board
Artwork date: 1953
Signature details: signed bottom right
(1)
40 x 50.5 cm; Framed size: 55 x 65 x 1.5 cm
Notes:
Maggie Laubser was born and raised on her parents’ wheat farm Bloublommetjieskloof in Malmesbury, Western Cape. A farmgirl through and through, her affinity for nature was the primary impetus for her individual style and personal perspective that earned Laubser recognition as one of South Africa’s foremost artists.In 1947, Laubser relocated to Strand, a coastal town in the Helderberg area, where she lived in her cottage Altyd Lig. This move from the rural farmlands and the consequential nostalgia for her kontrei marked a notable change in Laubser’s work. Now in her sixties, well-established and recognised as an artist, Laubser—in her new urban surroundings—became reliant on recollections and memories of a pastoral past. No longer immersed in the former landscapes she depicted, she initiated a period of synthesis and simplification of form. Birds Against Seascape, painted in 1953, is characteristic of the dreamlike renderings Laubser produced throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Here, the artist has switched her palette of vivid colours for softer, pastel hues which she uses to make up flattened surface planes and simplified forms. Gentle tones of complementary pinks and greens in this seascape are coupled with harmonious lines; and the rhythmic curvature of the plump clouds above are echoed in the tide that rolls in below. A window into Laubser’s great imagination, this is a scene from the artist’s utopia. As Laubser continued to reminisce throughout these later years, it was also a period defined by many career highs. Between 1950 and 1960, she participated in more than 20 exhibitions, and received acclaim and admiration in 13 solo shows. In 1947, the same year that Birds Against Seascape was created, Laubser participated in the 26th Venice Biennale. With three of her works exhibited, this was surely a defining moment for the artist.
Lisa Truter
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.
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.