If auctions are an indication of the state of the art market, then the March 15 sale conducted by Strauss & Co in Cape Town should make dealers, and galleries – and artists – feel a new optimism. Under the hammer of Stephan Welz, a record price for a South African sculpture was reached when Anton van Wouw’s bronze Bad News (Slegte Nuus) 1907 was knocked down for R2 228 000. But a good Van Wouw is an auction staple and can be counted on to achieve a top price.

From a contemporary art point of view, the...

If auctions are an indication of the state of the art market, then the March 15 sale conducted by Strauss & Co in Cape Town should make dealers, and galleries – and artists – feel a new optimism. Under the hammer of Stephan Welz, a record price for a South African sculpture was reached when Anton van Wouw’s bronze Bad News (Slegte Nuus) 1907 was knocked down for R2 228 000. But a good Van Wouw is an auction staple and can be counted on to achieve a top price.

From a contemporary art point of view, the big news was the sale of another sculpture  - Jane  Alexander’s Racework – in the event of an earthquake. This was sold to an unidentified South African bidder for R1 058 300, alleviating fears that it would not reach its reserve and thus become a ‘burned’ object, dead on the market for a period. The pre-auction estimate of R800 000 to R1 000 000 proved to be right on the money.

Other auction records broken included Walter Batiss’ oil on canvas, Bathers, which went for R1 336 800, Stanley Pinker’s Night, an oil on canvas which sold for R946 900, and an incised and painted wood panel by Cecil Skotnes which fetched R1 225 400. All of these reflected records for the artists.

The sale realised a total of just over R33 million.