For its first-ever live auction in Pretoria on July 21, Strauss & Co presents, “Sculpted Narratives: Contemporary South African Ceramics”, a spotlight sale that includes high-value pieces by acclaimed clay artists Astrid Dahl, Andile Dyalvane, Ian Garrett, Frances Goodman, Nesta Nala, Hylton Nel and Bonnie Ntshalintshali. The live-virtual auction will take place at Pierneef’s Kraal Guest Lodge, the former home of acclaimed landscape painter JH Pierneef.

“‘Sculpted Narratives’ is our second sale dedicated to ceramic art in SA and follows our highly successful auction ‘Contemporary South African Ceramics in 2020’,” said Strauss & Co’s senior art specialist and head curator, Wilhelm van Rensburg. “As is suggested by the auction’s title, ‘Sculpted Narratives’ focuses on the sculptural nature of ceramic art and marks a shift in emphasis from the well-known and loved Anglo-Oriental ceramic styles practised in SA in especially the 1960s and 1970s.”

The sale acknowledges Pretoria’s central role in the story of SA art. The “Sculpted Narratives” catalogue features three painted tiles — one depicting purple crested loeries — by the doyen of ceramics, Esias Bosch, who lived and worked in Pretoria from 1955 to 1960. It also includes a rare vase by Walter Battiss (estimated at R25,000-R35,000), as well as a fired-clay sculpture by Robert Hodgins titled “The Senator from North Carolina” (estimated at R50,000-R70,000). A Pretoria resident in the 1950s and 1960s, Hodgins regularly commuted to a studio in Pretoria in the 1990s and 2000s to work on ceramic pieces.

“The impetus for the shift to sculpted ceramics can be traced back to American ceramic artist David Middlebrook’s visit to SA in 1982/83, as well as the avant-garde teaching of Suzette Munnik at Technikon Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in the late 1980s,” said Van Rensburg.  “This period also saw the advent of the world-famous Ardmore Ceramic Art Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, whose studio output is characterised by its strong sculptural iconography.”

“Sculpted Narratives” includes work by first-generation Ardmore artists, notably a 1992 teapot with jackal and flower motif by Ntshalintshali (estimated at R12,000-R15,000), and two zoomorphic figures by Josephine Ghesa, another first-generation Ardmore luminary.

The sale also includes pieces by second-generation Ardmore artists produced in the past two decades that derive from the single-owner collection of the late ambassador Lindiwe Mabuza. A distinguished politician, diplomat and scholar, Mabuza was instrumental in popularising Ardmore internationally during her postings in Germany, Malaysia, UK and US.

A special feature of the sale centres on legacy vessels by the illustrious Nala family: from matriarch Nesta Nala, who is represented by three pit-fired and burnished earthenware pieces, to ceremonial pots by Jabulile Nala and Zanele Nala. The influence of the Nala family is considerable on contemporary practitioners like Ian Garrett, whose Master’s thesis focused on the work of Nesta Nala. Garrett is represented by the burnished pot “Reflection” (estimated at R50,000-R60,000).

Andile Dyalvane is at the apex of a new wave of sculptural ceramics and is represented in the sale by a scarified conical vessel (estimated at R60,000-R80,000). Other well-known contemporary sculptors include Frances Goodman and Eugene Hön and. The “Sculpted Narratives” catalogue also includes ceramic work by “ultra-contemporary” artists — a category used to refer to artworks made by artists under 40 years old — like Hannah Massey and Mpho Mokgatlhe, and Joy Mwali, Mellaney Roberts and Amo Maepa, all graduates of the Tshwane University of Technology ceramic department.

A preview exhibition of the “Sculpted Narratives” sale will be hosted at Strauss & Co, Johannesburg, where Van Rensburg will present a public talk titled “Sculpted Narratives: Contemporary South African Ceramics” on Tuesday July 16 at 6pm.

Activities will then move to Pretoria, to Pierneef’s Kraal Guest Lodge. Strauss & Co will host a preview of a selection of art highlights from the “Pretoria Sale: Modern and Contemporary Art” on July 19 and 20 with two walkabouts of the exhibition at 11am and 3pm, including a walkabout of Pierneef’s Kraal.

Two auctions will take place at Pierneef’s Kraal Guest Lodge on Sunday July 21: “Sculpted Narratives” at 10am followed by the “Pretoria Sale: Modern and Contemporary Art” at 12pm.