Record R1.2-million paid for John Meyer painting

22 July 2015 - 18:29 By RDM News Wire

South Africa’s leading contemporary realist artist‚ John Meyer achieved a new record for one of his paintings on Tuesday night when Waterberg Wanderings sold for R1.2-million (£60‚000) at a charity auction at Bonhams in New Bond Street‚ London. The money raised will go to Prince William’s charity Tusk which works to save the African elephant and rhino.The sale took place on the opening night of an exhibition of John Meyer’s work‚ a Boer War themed exhibition sponsored by Investec. This charitable auction‚ part of Tusk’s 25th Anniversary will raise funds for the charity’s key conservation projects‚ including efforts to save the Waterberg Rhino.Bonhams and Investec presented Lost in the Dust; an exhibition celebrating a powerful series of narrative paintings of the Anglo-Boer War by Meyer. This is the first time this collection has exhibited outside of Africa.The exhibition is unusual in many respects‚ not least for being a vision of war from the perspective of the vanquished; normally the “truth” of war is written and painted by the victors.Set against the dramatic and hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the South African landscape‚ these fifteen works by Meyer offer a personal and compelling look into how war affects individual relationships and captures the raw emotion of the people swept up in it. The paintings weave history‚ imagination and narrative into a multi-layered realm that deals with the tragedy of war.Francois Pienaar‚ former Springbok captain‚ and an enthusiast of Meyer’s work‚ said‚ “John Meyer captures the truth of the South African landscape as few artists can‚ his images touch me deeply.“This particular collection of works about the Boer War ‎is powerful. It is a part of our history that remains a source of great sadness‚ but also of pride‚ that as a people we survived. Meyer's genius is that he captures the suffering of both sides and of the civilians caught in the middle compelling one to think again about our history."Giles Peppiatt‚ director of South African art at Bonhams‚ said‚ “John Meyer is without doubt the leading exponent of South African realist art. He takes up where Pierneef leaves off.“Meyer’s landscapes are less romantic and bleaker and absolutely capture the vastness of this sun-scorched land. These fifteen paintings are fascinating in that they marry his absolute mastery of landscape with his great theme of the tragedy of war.“This exhibition will bring Meyer to the attention of a much wider audience which is what he deserves.”“We are delighted that John Meyer has donated a unique‚ never before seen piece in aid of conservation and protection of wildlife‚”CEO of Tusk Charlie Mayhew said.“At Tusk we work to forge a link between the preservation of Africa’s natural heritage‚ its landscapes and wildlife‚ and the future of its land and people. It is this inextricable relationship‚ between a nation and its land‚ that attracted us to this project and we look forward to the reception.”The exhibition is open to public viewing from Wednesday July 22 to July 30 in London‚ and in Edinburgh from August 11 to August 20...

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