Rare Jane Alexander Work to be Auctioned

Untitled, a chilling and powerful sculpture with ominously blemished flesh, was made at the same time as Butcher Boys, the best known work in the collection of Iziko South African National Gallery, and one which visitors always ask to see if it is not currently on view in the museum. At the time, Alexander was completing her master’s degree at Wits University, and as in Butcher Boys, Alexander has split the skin at the back of the neck of the heavily seated figure of Untitled, to reveal the spine beneath. Alexander dislikes talking about the meaning of her work, but these works are known to embody the thuggish and brutal nature of apartheid.

Since Butcher Boys is unique, and will never be available for sale, the appearance on the auction market of the extraordinary Untitled will surely pique the interest of collectors and art institutions around the world, since this opportunity to acquire a piece linked so closely conceptually and formally to Butcher Boys will probably never occur again. The auction estimate is R2,000,000 to R3,000,000, but given the quality of the work and its extreme rarity, it could well go for very much more. 

A second Alexander work, West Coast African Angel, 1985/6 will also go on sale at the same auction. This vigorous and unsettling work is also an important piece, an early example of the hybrid creatures of mixed species which have continued to populate Alexander’s sculptural installations. This work has been estimated at R600,000 to R900,000.

Strauss Art’s November 11 sale will take place at the Wanderers Club in Illovo, Johannesburg, and more information can be found online at www.straussart.co.za.