The Norval Sovereign African Art Prize 2023 Benefit Auction | Hosted by Sotheby’s

Esther Mahlangu

Ndebele Abstract

Lot Closed

January 31, 05:07 PM GMT

Estimate

6,000 - 8,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Esther Mahlangu

South African

b.1935

Ndebele Abstract

signed and dated 2021 (lower left)

acrylic on canvas

100 by 150cm., 39⅜ by 59in.

Please be aware of the Conditions of Sale when bidding. As a benefit auction, there is no buyer’s premium charged. The only additional costs due to the winning bidder are applicable sales tax and shipping. Works auctioned are sold “as is,” and condition reports are included with lot descriptions as available. In-person previews of the auction artwork will be available at Norval Foundation at 4 Steenberg Rd, Tokai, Cape Town, 7945, South Africa from 25 January – 20 March, Monday to Sundays 9AM – 5:00PM (Closed on Tuesdays).Please note that while this auction is hosted on Sothebys.com, it is being administered by Norval Foundation (“the museum”), and all post-sale matters (inclusive of invoicing and property pickup/shipment) will be handled by the museum. As such, Sotheby’s will share the contact details for the winning bidders with the museum so that they may be in touch directly post-sale.

This work has been kindly donated by the artist

Dr Esther Mahlangu is a multi-award-winning visual artist and South African cultural ambassador. She has been painting since she was ten years old when she was taught the art of house painting by her mother and grandmother, as per the tradition of the Ndebele nation. A visionary and disruptor from an early age, Dr Mahlangu recognised that, by reimagining the geometric patterns typically used to decorate houses onto contemporary media, she could create artworks that were more accessible to global audiences. Mahlangu went on to paint canvas, cars, motorbikes, mannequins, World War II helmets and more. The resulting works combine traditional techniques with elements of popular culture in a style unique to Dr Mahlangu that graces important collections around the world.

Dr Mahlangu’s abstract paintings follow the laws of sacred geometry. Patterns, shapes and colours are applied in flat acrylic paint in order to create balance and harmony. Straight black lines work to outline the shapes of bold colours. The white of the canvas remains untouched in order to accentuate the painted areas. Whilst her early works were created using natural pigments and dyes and painted with a feather, developments in acrylic paints opened up an exciting palette of colours which inform the vast majority of her works. Ndebele Abstract (2021) is one example of Dr Mahlangu’s iconic abstractions, honouring the legacy of her ancestors, including her mother and her grandmother before her.