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Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993) Portrait of a Man in Blue
Details
Signed lower right “G SEKOTO” in blue pigment.
Sizes:
Artwork: 38.5 × 28 cm | 15.2 × 11 in
This intense and soulful portrait is a significant example of Gerard Sekoto’s work during his long exile in Paris. The subject is rendered with a haunting, statuesque quality, emerging from a deep indigo and obsidian background. Sekoto utilizes a sculptural application of paint, using thick, rhythmic brushstrokes to build the features of the face, which are highlighted with flashes of ochre and white.
The use of a predominantly blue palette imbues the work with a sense of “Blue Note” melancholy, reflecting Sekoto’s dual life as a painter and a jazz musician in the clubs of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The closed eyes and serene expression suggest a moment of deep introspection or spiritual resilience, a recurring theme in Sekoto’s depictions of the human condition. This work captures the transition of his style from the social realism of his South African years (District Six and Sophiatown) to the more atmospheric, psychological abstraction of his European period.
Condition Report
Good vintage condition; the work features a heavy, expressive impasto; stable paint layers with minor age-appropriate surface wear; original wooden stretcher.
Authenticity & Buyer Information
This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification and is covered by our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale. The guarantee concerns authorship; it does not extend to provenance, dating, condition or value, which are described to the best of our knowledge.
Buyers should review the catalogue carefully and raise any questions before bidding; additional information is not ordinarily provided after the auction.
5-Year Authenticity Guarantee
Five years on authorship for works catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification (Section 4 of our Conditions of Sale); headings such as “Attributed to” or “Circle of” are sold as described.
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Questions about this lot
How does the estimate compare with the artist’s recent auction results?
The estimate of €6,000–€8,000 is our opinion of the range this work should reach; the starting price of €4,000 is the lowest bid we accept. We have not published comparable results for this lot; ask us before the sale and we will send the results we based the estimate on.
What will this lot cost in total?
Bidding on this site, the buyer’s premium is 25%, Spanish IVA included, and there is no VAT on the hammer price and no card fee: at the starting price of €4,000 the total is €5,000; at the low estimate of €6,000 the total is €7,500; at the high estimate of €8,000 the total is €10,000.
Through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Drouot or Bidspirit the premium is 30%, so the same hammer of €8,000 costs €10,400 there. Shipping and insurance are quoted separately; the estimator on this page gives the figure for your country. Buyers outside the EU pay no Spanish tax on the lot; the destination’s import rules apply (United States: original paintings and drawings enter duty-free; United Kingdom: 5% import VAT on art). Card payments are accepted up to €10,000; larger amounts by bank transfer.
Is the attribution covered by the Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee?
Yes. This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification, so it carries our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale: if the authorship proves materially incorrect, you may return the work within five years for a refund of the purchase price. The guarantee concerns authorship; provenance, dating, condition and value are described to the best of our knowledge and are not guaranteed.
Can I see the condition report, more photographs or the work itself?
A condition report with ultraviolet photographs is prepared on request, normally within two working days; the condition summary on this page is examined in-house and is not a conservator’s report. Further photographs of any detail, the reverse or the frame are sent on request. The work can be examined in our Barcelona showroom by appointment before the sale, and you are welcome to send your own conservator or specialist.
Gerard Sekoto
Gerard Sekoto is widely considered the father of modern Black art in South Africa. In 1947, shortly before the formal onset of Apartheid, he left for Paris to seek artistic freedom. There, he became a part of the vibrant Ecole de Paris, living a Bohemian life as both an artist and a pianist.
His work is celebrated for its dignity and profound empathy. Today, Sekoto is a national hero in South Africa, with his works held in the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the South African National Gallery, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.
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