Peddling the macabre

Two sculptures from one of South Africa's most celebrated artists, Jane Alexander, will go under the hammer on November 11 - and are likely to fetch a small fortune.

The most famous of the artworks is a piece called Untitled, created in 1985-1986, which features a life-sized humanoid figure sitting on a wooden chair with an unfastened belt around its neck. The belt is an authentic strap once used to tie injured men and bodies to stretchers, which were then lifted from the mines.

The figure's skin is a sickly yellow-white colour with intermittent blotches of black, and it has no mouth. It is estimated the piece will sell for between R2-million and R3-million.

"This early work by Jane Alexander is a major sculpture by an important contemporary South African artist," senior curator at the Wits Art Museum, Julia Charlton, said.

Untitled originally featured in the same installation as another of Alexander's famous works, The Butcher Boys, which depicts three horned men sitting on a bench.

"This is arguably one of the most famous pieces of art to come out of South Africa," said senior paintings specialist Ruarc Peffers at Strauss and Co, an art auctioneering company. Alexander's works rarely become available for purchase and Peffers believes this is the main reason why the piece will probably sell for the price of a luxury house.

"Jane Alexander's work is like hen's teeth. There is simply not enough of it going around," he said.

In September 2011 another Alexander piece titled Something is going down sold for more than R800 000, while Racework - in the event of an earthquake, fetched more than R1-million.

"Very few South African artists reach those kinds of prices; the scarcity, stature and power of this work are what set it apart," Charlton said.

The second piece by Alexander up for auction is a 96cm sculpture called West Coast African Angel, which depicts a human body with red legs pedalling a bicycle. Also created in 1985-1986, it has the head of a bird of prey and wings for arms. It is expected to fetch between R600000 and R900000.

The auction will also feature the works of a number of other South African artists, including William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins and Robert G Goodman.

The Jane Alexander pieces will be on display at the Joburg Art Fair next weekend, and on November 8, 9 and 10 at the Wanderers Ballroom in Johannesburg. The Strauss and Co "Important international and South African Art" auction will take place on November 11 in Johannesburg. Visit www.straussart.co.za