---
title: "Strauss & Co’s Bold Mix of Global Icons and Rising Stars Comes to Market This May"
description: "Johannesburg Auction Week by Strauss & Co is a central pillar of South Africa’s autumn art calendar, and this year encompasses 217 lots spread across two curated auctions that track more than a century of artistic innovation."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Sponsored Content"
author: "Strauss & Co"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/strauss-n-co/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-23-strauss-cos-bold-mix-of-global-icons-and-rising-stars-comes-to-market-this-may/"
published: "2025-05-23T09:34:59"
updated: "2025-05-23T10:12:16"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 1035
---

# Strauss & Co’s Bold Mix of Global Icons and Rising Stars Comes to Market This May

> Johannesburg Auction Week by Strauss & Co is a central pillar of South Africa’s autumn art calendar, and this year encompasses 217 lots spread across two curated auctions that track more than a century of artistic innovation.

By Strauss & Co · Published 23 May 2025, 11:34 SAST · Updated 23 May 2025, 12:12 SAST

## Key points
- In a dazzling showcase of South African artistry, Strauss & Co. prepares to auction a treasure trove of modern masterpieces, from Frans Oerder’s nostalgic farmworkers to Vladimir Tretchikoff’s iconic "Lady from the Orient," proving that while the price tags soar, the cultural significance remains priceless.
- The upcoming Johannesburg Auction Week features a diverse collection, including Frans Oerder's 1890s portrait of farmworkers and Nelson Makamo's contemporary piece, "Child with Red Glasses."
- Vladimir Tretchikoff’s iconic "Lady from the Orient" leads the sale, alongside works from South African modernist pioneers like Irma Stern and Gerard Sekoto.
- Contemporary heavyweights such as William Kentridge and Penny Siopis will showcase their art, with Kentridge's work set for an international exhibition.
- The auction will present 217 lots across two sales, emphasizing both value and diversity, reinforcing Strauss & Co’s pivotal role in the South African art market.

## Content

The superb offering encompasses **Frans Oerder**’s portrait from the mid-1890s depicting four farmworkers, [*Leisure Hours*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/214) (estimate R200 000 – 300 000 / $11 047 – 16 571), and **Nelson Makamo**’s [*Child with Red Glasses*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/291) (estimate R300 000 – 400 000 / $16 571 – 22 095), painted 125 years later in 2018.

![389-27-may-2025-lot-214-1](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Am6q4D86cdAROr69780NNr2z5zQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-214-1.jpg)

*389-27-may-2025-lot-214-1*

![389-27-may-2025-lot-291-1](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/_rxsylniycIbEMEKiMGO-Z16Ibg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-291-1.jpg)

*389-27-may-2025-lot-291-1*

**Vladimir Tretchikoff**’s celebrated 1955 portrait [*Lady from the Orient*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/239) (estimate R5 – 7 million / $276 181 – 386 654), widely reproduced in print globally, leads the excellent consignment of pioneer moderns. They include **Maggie Laubser**, **Hugo Naudé**, **George Pemba**, **Alexis Preller**, **Gerard Sekoto**, **Irma Stern**, **JH Pierneef** and **Anton van Wouw**.

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-239-1-480x411.jpg)

Gerard Sekoto’s pre-exile masterpiece [*The Mother on the Road*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/221) (estimate R2 – 3 million / $110 473 – 165 709) is one of three works by this singular painter. The other works are the affecting [*Portrait of a Young Boy*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/224) (estimate R200 000 – 300 000 / $11 047 – 16 571) and Paris-era street scene from 1974 [*Walking Figures*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/253) (estimate R500 000 – 700 000 / $27 618 – 38 665). Like Sekoto, George Pemba is key voice in the representation of working-class life and is represented by [*The Road Diggers*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/249) (estimate R300 000 – 500 000 / $16 571 – 27 618).

![389-27-may-2025-lot-221-1](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/c0vS3UMl9lbfirN_YHwMO1KX2fo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-221-1.jpg)

*389-27-may-2025-lot-221-1*

![389-27-may-2025-lot-224-1](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/mICZbc8gjbcSgvoXYE0qRHZiZLM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-224-1.jpg)

*389-27-may-2025-lot-224-1*

![George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba; The Road Diggers](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Ik15oh02Uc8gCGgIVrX5Y76Fo8c=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-249-1-1.jpg)

*389-27-may-2025-lot-249-1*

Much loved and still widely collected, South Africa’s modernists laid the groundwork for later twentieth-century innovators like **Bill Ainslie**, **Keith Alexander**, **Walter Battiss**, **Erik Laubscher**, **Robert Hodgins** and **Harold Voigt**, all represented in the sale. Two founder Amadlozi Group members, **Cecil Skotnes** ([*Abstract Couple*](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/220), estimate R400 000 – 600 000 / $22 095 – 33 142) and **Edoardo Villa** ([*African Mask II*,](https://www.straussart.co.za/auctions/lot/389-27-may-2025/219) estimate R350 000 – 450 000 / $19 333 – 24 856), bolster the presence of late modernists in this sale. Of note, Villa is currently the subject of a career-spanning exhibition *Discipline of Sculpture*at Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg.

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/389-27-may-2025-lot-220-1-1-354x480.jpg)

Leading contemporary artists include **Jake Aikman**, **Deborah Bell**, **Pieter Hugo**, **William Kentridge**, **Dylan Lewis**, **Nelson Makamo**, **Gerhard Marx**, **John Meyer**, **Karel Nel**, **Penny Siopis** and **Sue Williamson**. Kentridge’s sculpture output will shortly receive its first major institutional show outside South Africa at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield. Williamson’s excellent career survey, *There’s Something I Must Tell You*, is currently on view at the South African National Gallery.

The 217 lots of modern and contemporary art on offer during Johannesburg Auction Week will be presented across two sales: a 115-lot online-only Day Sale (concluding Tuesday, 27 May 2025 from 2pm) and a 102-lot live Evening Sale (commencing Tuesday, 27 May 2025 at 7pm). The curation of these sales emphasises value and diversity. As is tradition, museum-quality works by Sekoto and Tretchikoff will be offered live to the public in the premier Evening Sale.

Johannesburg Auction Week confirms Strauss & Co’s role as a bulwark of the South African art market, offering collectors access to blue-chip names and rising stars in a curated, insight-rich format.

Noteworthy highlights from Johannesburg Auction Week include:

**Irma Stern**: three works, including the 1962 harvest scene *Pimento Pickers* (estimate R3 – 4 million / 165 709 – 220 945), vibrant gouache *Near Amanzimtoti* (estimate R250 000 – 350 000 / $ 13 809 – 19 333), and charcoal *Watussi Man Smoking a Pipe* (estimate R200 000 – 300 000 / $11 047 – 16 571).

![4M2A6524copyicopy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ikLXQ-bBdg2I7mpLKuEVytubwgU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A6524copyicopy.jpg)

*4M2A6524copyicopy*

![4M2A6871copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/yWIw8YzKnu5PR-Z-LfIFu6oddKQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A6871copy.jpg)

*4M2A6871copy*

![4M2A7032copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/7AArFB10fT9m-ON50pmQAiYqhQo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A7032copy.jpg)

*4M2A7032copy*

![4M2A6981copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/MT9F6OLKeJzuGcWjQNCneVsykbM=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A6981copy.jpg)

*4M2A6981copy*

**JH Pierneef**: seven works, including the top-valued *Piesanghoek, Soutpansberg* (estimate R2.5 – 3.5 million / $138 091 – 193 327) and a collector favourite, *Landscape with Acacias* (estimate R1.4 – 1.8 million / $77 331 – 99 425).

**William Kentridge**: seven works spanning decades and media, including an untitled charcoal drawing from his *Masked Ball* series (estimate R2 – 3 million / $110 473 – 165 709), the multi-panel etching *Marcus Aurelius* (estimate R800 000 – 1 000 000 / $44 470 – 55 588) and the bronze *Shadow Figure III* (estimate R1.2 – 1.5 million / $66 284 – 82 854).

**Penny Siopis**: two works, *Ribbon* (estimate R300 000 – 500 000 / $16 571 – 27 618) and *Trouble* (estimate R200 000 – 300 000 / $11 047 – 16 571), which exemplify her lyrical humanism and politically attuned figurative practice.

**Keith Alexander**: *Dawn of a Long Night* (estimate R300 000 – 500 000 / $16 571 – 27 618) from 1993 is a photo-realist narrative painting by this sought-after painter.

**Anton van Wouw**: A rare edition of the *Slegte Nuus* bronze (estimate R1 – 1.5 million / $55 236 – 82 854), cast by the Nisini Foundry in Rome and one of only two in existence.

**Erik Laubscher**: Two standout landscapes, *Winter Landscape* (estimate R150 000 – 200 000 / $8 338 – 11 117) and *Rooi Rotse, Bokkeveld*(estimate R200 000 – 300 000 / $11 117 – 16 676), show Laubscher’s enduring power.

![4M2A7829copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/GysYPvy1JP5wpZ9DBIPuAoiGLhY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A7829copy.jpg)

*4M2A7829copy*

![4M2A7353copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pgwfZNG9MYpk4lLnBRI1lZ196i8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A7353copy.jpg)

*4M2A7353copy*

![4M2A7301copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/zMMLL6aI4mmHt77UYHibAslsSbY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A7301copy.jpg)

*4M2A7301copy*

![4M2A7196copy](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/YArcnN8v0o-9-KQKyc_JHgz1l2I=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4M2A7196copy.jpg)

*4M2A7196copy*

**Harold Voigt**: The richly textured *Abstract Landscape with Hornbills* from 1973 (estimate R 80 000 – 120 000 / $4 419 – 6 628) exemplifies this painter’s elegant legacy.

**Hugo Naudé**: *San Marco, Venice* (estimate R80 000 – 120 000 / $4 419 – 6 628) is a luminous plein-air view that showcases Naudé’s European training and Impressionist leanings.

**Robert Hodgins**: four works, including three oils with keen estimates of between R300 000 – 500 000 / $16 571 – 27 618 that represent his biting wit and painterly strength, as well as a portfolio, *Uhanga Dihangara (Coat Hanger Print Portfolio)* showcasing his excellent printmaking skills.

**John Meyer**: six works, a mainstay of the local market, the works span his signature narrative figuration (*Broken Reed*, estimate R400 000 – 500 000 / $22 095 – 27 618) and much-loved landscape subjects.

**Walter Battiss**: six works, led by *Haitian Woman* (estimate R300 000 – 500 000 / $16 571 – 27 618), that showcase the flair of this national treasure, who will be the subject of dedicated single-artist sale in June. **DM**

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