In / Sight - The art of JH Pierneef at Strauss & Co

Name: In / Sight - The art of JH Pierneef at Strauss & Co
Start: 2021-07-16
End: 2021-07-26
Location: Strauss & Co

Friday Jul 16 - Monday Jul 26 89 Central St, Houghton

Clouds over Karoo by JH Pierneef courtesy of Strauss & Co

Stad in Basotho Land by JH Pierneef courtesy of Strauss & Co

Artwork by JH Pierneef courtesy of of Strauss & Co

JH Pierneef is one of South Africa’s most renowned and iconic painters and any sale of works by this modernist South African artist is always a special occasion. On Monday July 26 at 18:00 top auction house Strauss & Co hosts the first art auction devoted entirely to the work of Pierneef. The first-of-its-kind live-streamed online auction presents more than 50 works including paintings, drawings and linocuts created by Pierneef through the first half of the twentieth century.

Pierneef focused his art on celebrating the majestic South African landscape, depicting breathtaking vistas, lonely farmhouses, architectonic cloudbursts and moving bushveld silhouettes in his distinctive works. He was accomplished across a range of mediums and for big art collectors his spectacular oil paintings are the most highly prized. What many admirers of Pierneef might not realise is that he also produced a rich archive of casein, watercolour, pastel, graphite, etching and linocut works that present a very accessible purchase for any admirer who dreams of a Pierneef work in their collection.

Online art talk - JH Pierneef and The Group of Seven

Catch up here on Strauss & Co's ongoing video series, discussing JH Pierneef and his contemporaries, The Group of Seven. This talk is led by Strauss & Co Senior Art Specialist Dr Alastair Meredith in conversation with Ian A.C. Dejardin, Executive Director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Watch this talk from July 20, 2021 here. You can also find more talks about specific Pierneef works on Strauss & Co's YouTube channel, a treasure trove for any art enthusiast.

Watch live and bid online

Registering to bid online is super easy and the online bidding platform is very user-friendly to navigate with the possibility to place pre-bids online ahead of the live auction too. Head to straussart.co.za to start exploring the auction and register to bid.

Whether you are in the market to buy a Pierneef, or are just curious to get a feel for how buying art at auction works, the opportunity to live-stream the evening's bidding online is a great way to enjoy the thrill of the chase (complete with the auctioneer slamming the gavel on the podium at the end of each sale!) from the comfort of home.

We also highly recommend setting aside some time to head online and read the superb auction catalogue written by Strauss & Co's early 20th Century art expert Dr Alistair Meredith. It provides a wealth of insight into the artist's varying subject matter and his colourful life and career and for anyone with an interest in South African art history it is a brilliant read.