Sculpture will once again take centre stage as artistic medium at the annual Winter Sculpture Fair, which launches on May 13 and 14 at Nirox Sculpture Park, Cradle of Humankind. The popular two-day exhibition will include some of Franschhoek’s top chefs and wine makers.
The ancient practice of creating three-dimensional objects was traditionally connected with ritual happenings and later associated with monuments to celebrate historical personalities and events. In the 20th century, sculpture underwent radical changes, diverting from having statuary functions and focusing increasingly on being art objects. Modern and contemporary sculpture tends to be more personal and more readily interpreted as an artist’s emotional expression in materials.
Collectors are advised to include sculpture works in their collections, thereby not negating a significant part of contemporary art. South African art collector and connoisseur Jack Ginsberg notes that "many major artists, like William Kentridge, include sculpture in their oeuvre and it’s often some of their most appealing work".
Mohau Modisakeng who, alongside artist Candice Breitz, represents SA at the Venice Biennale, which opens in Italy next week, is known for his powerful sculpture pieces in addition to his mostly photo, film and video-based work.
Sculpture has more recently gained a significant place in the art market. Certain sculpture works have achieved staggering auction prices, with Giacometti’s 1947 bronze L’Homme au Doigt selling for $141.3m at Christie’s in 2015, making it the most expensive sculpture sold yet.
At home, Jane Alexander’s Fourth Butcher Boy sold for R5.45m at Strauss & Co in 2013, a record-breaker for South African sculpture.
Clearly, there is more to sculpture than the famous remark made by American abstract expressionist artist Barnett Newman: "Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting." Newman was right, though, to the extent that sculpture offers a visual experience that is completely different from two-dimensional art forms, since it occupies the same space as people do. One can move around the volume area that the sculpture occupies, touch it and sometimes even enter it. The physical interaction with the medium offers haptic experiences that assist in transferring the artist’s creative elements to the observer.
Collectors often inquire about the features they should consider when acquiring sculpture pieces. Prospective buyers should develop a sense of what appeals to them.
There are many forms, different media and styles to familiarise oneself with. Art fairs are always a good starting point as participating galleries usually incorporate sculpture works among their exhibits.
Sculptures are available in various sizes. Smaller sculpture pieces are practical and easy to house, while good planning is required when acquiring gigantic pieces. Heavier large bronze works can pose certain challenges regarding transport as well as its stability on the supporting base.
Anyone interested in monumental pieces should consider visiting the "unlimited sector" at Art Basel, where large-scale sculpture pieces make up a major part of the fair’s exhibits.
The volume that a large sculpture occupies may be crucial to contemplate as the British art collector Frank Cohen discovered. He commissioned Jeff Koons in 2006 to produce Balloon Monkey (Orange) for inclusion into his collection. Cohen paid $8m and waited eight years for it only to discover that the nearly 4m x 6m artwork was too large to fit into its intended place. He had to sell it on.
In contemporary sculpture, many sculptors commission specialists to fabricate their works, while overseeing the production, while others prefer to make the artworks with their own hands. Like artists using master printers to produce an edition of prints, sculptors make use of the expertise available in foundries to have their sculptures cast.
The sculpture medium is as important as the conception of the artist’s vision of the final product. Both the artist’s idea and material are mutually exchangeable where the material provides inherent energy to the artist and vice versa where the artist’s creativity instils energy into the material.
Besides the traditional materials such as wood, bronze, steel, clay or stone, boundaries are being pushed further by innovative artists who explore the use of resins, textiles, plastics, polymers, recycled materials or found objects as their media to create.
In addition, 3D printing and holograms are some of the latest platforms applied by artists for production of sculptures.
The list of materials for artistic practice is almost endless. Some materials are suitable for outdoor display, notably bronze and stone that develop their own individual and unique patina over time.
Synthetic polymers are also suitable for outdoors, while sculptures in most other materials should be kept indoors.
Wood, the historical medium of African sculptures, requires special care. Many wooden sculptures have sadly not withstood the test of time due to neglect, natural decomposition as well as the toil of wood-boring insects. Contemporary sculptures made of recycled materials will have to prove their resilience.
Sculpture works are normally more expensive than other art works. Besides the amount of time and work involved in sculpture production, the various construction materials can be very costly.
In addition, producing a bronze sculpture normally involves the expertise of several skilled professional assistants that contributes to the final cost and pricing of the cast.
Buyers should be aware that a sculpture piece may be one of an edition. In the event of it being a posthumous cast, there will be an impact on the work’s future value. Sculpture works in other media may also exist as copies and one should note this.
A great example of South African sculpture is the work of celebrated sculptor Edoardo Villa (1915-2011) that is displayed in public, corporate and private spaces countrywide. Villa’s house in Kew has recently been declared a Johannesburg City Heritage Site and the home’s owner, art collector and curator Warren Siebrits, plans to open the house and gardens as a sculpture museum.
Mary-Jane Darroll, who has curated the Winter Sculpture Fair from 2013 to 2016, says "historically, sculpture has been the most celebrated art in and from Africa. With our climate, we spend a lot of time outdoors and it’s great to have beautiful sculptures to look at and enjoy."
• Walker is a partner in Walker Scott, which offers end-to-end art management services.
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