Never mind if its art, just buy it

But is it art? One collector of ceramics certainly thinks so
and paid some $310 for this Swazi whimsy.

STRAUSS & Co’s Online Sale Records yesterday highlighted that despite — or perhaps because of — the plummeting lack of confidence in SA’s rand and political leadership, confidence in art is on the rise.

One record — a colour litho entitled Miss Priss by Robert Hodgins sold at SA Print Gallery for R4 000 in 2010.

Strauss & Co had reserve price of between R15 000 and R20 000 on the artwork for its recent online auction, but instead sold Miss Priss for R76 000 on its latest online auction that closed on April 9.

Would you pay the price of a used car for this daub  painting?
It's collectors value is now well over $5600.

Mulholland Cowboy, a painting by Jan Johannes Henoch Neethling, was listed for between R8 000 and R12 000, but sold for R35 130. The auctioneer hoped to get R3 500 for an unframed linocut by artist Phillemon Hlungwani, entitled Ndzi Ehleketa N’WanaManana, but the bidders chased the price up to R18 736.

But it is not just fine art that caught the eye of investors. Swazi potter Austin Hleza’s 1986 Volkswagen 10 Seater Taxi with passengers was listed for between R2 000 and R3 000, but the 29-cm long hand-painted ceramic sold for R4 099.

It seems collectors also noticed Tinus de Jongh, as his moody city’nscapes sold well in excess of the top estimates, with Mine Dumps fetching R4 919 after a top estimate of R2 000.

Prices for most of South Africa’s well-known and locally famous artists, like Walter Battiss’ prints, Gregoire Boonzaier pencil sketches and Gerard Bhengu’s portraits, are, however, well established and fetched prices that fell just below the estimated maximum ranges and several works that did not fetch the minimum price went unsold.

Online commission bidding is becoming more popular with art investors.

The system used by Strauss and Co sends online bidder an e-mail and an SMS every time they are outbid on a lot. Due to high traffic, they do not send out notifications in the last hour of an auction.

A commission bid sets a maximum amount and the system will bid on your behalf when required until your ceiling has been reached. Art investors can also sign in to extend their maximum bids before the last hour of the action.

Once the auction is done, bidders get an e-mail detailing which lots they had the highest bid on.

Strauss and Co are now inviting consignments of important South African and international art for their next online auction, conducted from Johannesburg, on Monday, June 5. Inquiries to 011 728 8246 or jhb@straussart.co.za.