Next month, Bonhams New Bond Street will offer the largest-ever collection of works to come to auction by South African sculptor and artist, Stella Shawzin. The Studio of Stella Shawzin sale consists of 104 lots, none of which have been seen at auction before.
Born in Transvaal, South Africa, in 1920, Shawzin grew up in a nation divided by apartheid. The experience had a profound effect on her work, in which she sought to express the universality of the human condition, regardless of race or belief. Many of her sculptures of men and women are almost entirely devoid of facial features, yet their emotional states are perfectly communicated by the shape and position of their bodies. These never-ending variations in position, feeling and movement, which Shawzin described as ‘limitless and timeless’, are hallmarks of her work.
Stella Shawzin’s artworks have been exhibited and appreciated across the world, including in London, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Paris, New York and Bologna.
Highlights of this sale include Athlete II, Soaring figure, Polo pony and Mother & baby on a rock.
Director of Bonhams Modern & Contemporary African Art Department, Giles Peppiatt, said:
“It’s difficult to think of a sculptor who worked with such a variety of media – bronze, marble, metal, wood – or who was so intimately involved in the every stage of the creative process. From her visits to the marble quarries at Carrara to the building of her own foundry at her Cape Town studio, Stella Shawzin oversaw the execution of each artwork from conception to completion. Unusually, she was able to work with great facility on both a monumental and an intimate scale. We are thrilled that the sale includes previously unseen works at auction which encompass her full artistic range – from a selection of life-sized bronze balancing acrobats to tender depictions of the female form, which can be held in the palm of one’s hand.”
The Studio of Stella Shawzin (an auction without reserve) takes place at Bohmams New Bond Street on 1 September.
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Photo: Stella Shawzin (South African, 1920-2020), Mother & baby on a rock, 60 x 38 x 35cm, Bonhams