At the heart of the art scene, painter Vladimir Tretchikoff’s iconic work, entitled “Herb Seller”, was first exhibited in 1949 at the National Gallery of South Africa, marking the start of a series of high quality paintings.
In the coming weeks, two major auction houses – Strauss & Co in Cape Town and Bonhams in London – will auction off high-value works by Vladimir Tretchikoff, the undisputed master of kitsch.
For art lovers, now is the perfect time to anticipate these events and prepare accordingly. Tretchikoff’s international reputation, particularly following the acquisition of his painting “Chinese Girl” in 2013 for the sum of 13.8 million rand at Bonhams, suggests intense activity during these sales.
What is the definition of a major work by Tretchikoff? The two valuable paintings that will be offered this month seem to provide the beginnings of an answer to this question.
On March 19, Strauss & Co will present “Flower Seller” by Tretchikoff, dating from 1949. This painting represents a Muslim Cape Town woman carrying on her head a woven basket overflowing with cut flowers, including lilies and calla lilies. and gladioli.
Muslims in Cape Town were already a recurring subject among white artists at the time Tretchikoff created this work, he who was a Russian émigré who settled in Cape Town in 1946 after having lived in China, Singapore and Indonesia.
A talented illustrator with an overflowing affection for bright colors, Tretchikoff irritated local Cape artists and critics alike with his quasi-naturalistic paintings of established genre subjects.
Irma Stern notably resolved in a spectacular manner the withdrawal of a proposal from Tretchikoff to exhibit in a renowned gallery. Undeterred, he exhibited his works in a nearby department store. It was a success.
In the same way that Instagram allowed artists to “hijack” the sedentary art market circa 2020, Tretchikoff found alternative avenues to connect with his audience. He exhibited in department stores, including Harrods in London, and produced reproductions of his paintings.
Tretchikoff’s work generated an industry as vibrant in insults as in merchandise. Some critics did not hesitate to describe his paintings as “kitch”, “cheap” and devoid of sensitivity. Yet industry figures and Hollywood actors have owned works like Vladimir Tretchikoff’s “Fruits of Bali,” “Flower Seller” and “Lost Orchid.”
Beyond the harsh criticism, one of the biggest obstacles for Tretchikoff was the implicit refusal of successive directors of the South African National Gallery in Cape Town to exhibit his works.
Nevertheless, Raison Naidoo broke this “misplaced existential Eurocentrism”, in the words of critic Ashraf Jamal, when he became director in 2009. He then included Tretchikoff’s painting “Herb Seller” in his exhibition 1910-2010: From Pierneef to Gugulective.
Strauss & Co will present “Flower Seller” (1949) the same year as “Herb Seller”. The painting is estimated at between R1.8 million and R2.4 million. This value is half that expected for “Lost Orchid” (1948) when it was sold in London on March 27.
“Lost Orchid” illustrates the remains of a party on a staircase, with streamers, an extinguished cigarette and a corsage of flowers, an orchid dripping with tears, a whole symbol of the transience of life and the inexorability of dead.
In conclusion, Vladimir Tretchikoff continues to divide critics and arouse the interest of art lovers around the world. His ability to transcend the traditional boundaries of art and reach a wide audience makes him an essential figure in popular and accessible art.
If his work can sometimes be described as kitsch or even cheap, it nonetheless remains true that it reveals a unique sensitivity and an artistic depth which deserve to be explored and appreciated by everyone, whether a connoisseur or simply curious.