A competitive auction saw Irma Stern’s 1946 portrait, *Malay (Black Headdress)*, achieve a monumental sale. The event, part of Strauss & Co’s third annual The International Sale, featured five telephone bidders and one in the salesroom vying for the artwork....Click to Read More >>➤
After over fifty years in a private collection, the luminous portrait finally found a new owner. A determined telephone bidder secured the piece for a final price of R21.7 million, equivalent to $1.26 million.
Historic Result for Irma Stern Portrait
This sale marks a significant milestone in African art market history. The achieved price is the highest ever paid on the continent for an Irma Stern portrait depicting a female sitter. The painting’s return to the market coincided with a period of renewed global interest in the artist’s work.
Stern is currently the focus of a major career survey exhibition at Berlin’s Brücke Museum. Furthermore, her 1942 portrait of Emma Bakayishonga was a highlight of the main exhibition at the 60th Venice Biennale last year. This international spotlight undoubtedly fueled collector enthusiasm.
Intense Bidding for a Masterpiece
The combination of Stern’s prominence and the portrait’s exceptional quality attracted global interest. Bidders from multiple continents registered for a chance to own *Malay (Black Headdress)*. The competition was fierce, with bids at one point escalating in increments of R1 million before the final hammer fell.
This result solidifies the painting’s position as one of Stern’s most valuable works sold at auction. It is now the second-highest price ever achieved for a Stern at Strauss & Co, surpassed only by the R22.3 million sale of her 1939 work, *Children Reading the Koran*, in 2023.
Auction House Hails Successful Sale
Senior auctioneer Bina Genovese expressed great satisfaction with the outcome. She stated it was a privilege to handle such an exceptional portrait. Genovese noted that the outstanding result reflects the dedicated efforts to present the work to major Stern collectors worldwide. She affirmed that the remarkable price confirms the artwork’s exceptional quality and enduring significance.
The International Sale featured a diverse collection of artworks spanning five centuries. The event included pieces by renowned artists such as Marc Chagall, David Hockney, and Pablo Picasso. The 69-lot Evening Sale generated a total turnover of R27.8 million, with 70% of the offered lots finding buyers.
Other notable sales from the evening included a linocut by Pablo Picasso, titled *Couple et Flûtistes au Bord d’un Lac*, which fetched R1 million. Marc Chagall’s *La Baie des Anges* sold for R485,205, while an undated symbolic landscape by Otto Modersohn achieved R554,520. The strong results across various artists underscore a vibrant and active market for international art. ...Click to Read More >>➤
