The boutique 5-star Monarch Hotel in Rosebank recently closed its doors and with the business now in the process of liquidation the heritage building which housed the hotel is going on auction as well as all of its contents. The sale of the building and the hotel furniture and fittings takes place from 12:00 on Wed Feb 5, followed by an exciting sale in the evening led by fine art auctioneers Strauss & Co of the hotel's exquisite art collection.

Launched in 2005, one of the most distinctive features of the Monarch Hotel was always its interesting collection of artworks by emerging and contemporary South African artists. The Monarch Hotel art collection sale includes more than 150 artworks by an array of major local artists such as Walter Battiss, David Koloane, Brett Murray, Sam Nhlengethwa, Robert Hodgins, Christo Coetzee, Kagiso Pat Mautloa and Deborah Bell.

Among the many highlights of this unique sale are 60 'biographical' ceramic plates by South African ceramic artist Ruan Hoffmann which have already garnered major interest, a beautiful Walter Battiss tapestry woven by the Marguerite Stephens Tapestry Studio, drawings and sketches by the likes of Dumile Feni and Alexis Preller, a rare Azaria Mbatha screenprint and some outstanding abstract paintings by the British painter Douglas Portway.

In a first for Strauss & Co the auction will be live-streamed on the auction house website allowing potential buyers to bid online during the auction, while absentee, telephone and in-person bids will also all be accepted during the auction.

The hotel (located opposite the Rosebank Gautrain station on Oxford Road) will be open for viewing days on: 
Sat Feb 1 09:00–15:00
Mon Feb 3 09:00–16:00
Tue Feb 4 07:30–17:00

The live auction takes place on Wed Feb 5 at 18:00. Find out how to register to bid and view the auction catalogue online at www.straussart.co.za