If, unlike me, you’d got your act together, last week could have started with a preview of Joburg auction house Strauss & Co’s first contemporary art auction in Cape Town.
As the world of contemporary art continues to heat up to levels on a par with temperatures up the west coast, the auction itself bagged all kinds of records, including more than R1-million for a Karel Nel work. I really can’t believe I missed that moment.
The team from Strauss and Co, on the other hand, clearly thought ahead, timing the auction to coincide with what is now known as the Investec Cape Town Art Fair – the specialist bank’s sponsorship of this art event yet another confirmation that contemporary art is where the cool kids are at. Well, some of them.
If my instagram feed is anything to go by, the @ict_artfair Vernissage (Don’t ask. In Joburg, it means preview!) was one of those events you don’t want to miss – and not just because of the art. Call me shallow, but a gathering of interesting and talented people, dressed for the occasion and surrounded by beautiful things, simply makes my heart happy.
But back to the clever person’s February diary: Saturday morning would have found you dressed in anything from Cara Delevingne’s closet, with an embellished head dress of some sparkly description on your lap, driving towards a wine farm outside Stellenbosch for the Little Gig Festival.