Pierneef painting breaks new record, sells for ‘mammoth’ R20m

Cape Town – A previously unseen painting by JH Pierneef broke another world record, when it sold for over R20m on Monday evening at an auction held by Strauss & Co Fine Art Auctioneers.

The painting, Farm Jonkershoek with Twin Peaks Beyond, Stellenbosch, went completely beyond its estimate of between R6m and R8m by fetching R20 462 400.

Twin Peaks was painted in 1928 as a precursor to Pierneef’s Stellenbosch panel and was originally installed at the Johannesburg Railway Station. It marks the beginning of Pierneef's most celebrated period of discovery and mastery, Strauss & Co's said.

Farm Jonkershoek with Twin Peaks Beyond, Stellenbosch, by JH Pierneef.

“This is the second highest price ever achieved for a painting sold at auction in South Africa,” Strauss & Co said in a statement.

The auction “proved conclusively that South Africa is the most appropriate place to sell high quality local artwork, be it historic or contemporary masterpieces”, said Strauss & Co chairperson Frank Kilbourn.

“This sale set a new benchmark for prestigious South African art auctions,” said Strauss & Co MD Bina Genovese.

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