Kebble art for auction
2009-05-07 16:00
Johannesburg - South Africa's largest privately-owned art collection, which belonged to slain mining magnate Brett Kebble, will go under the hammer on Thursday night.
Some 800 bidders had registered for the event at Summer Place in Johannesburg, in an auction expected to raise between R50m and R70m.
"I was quite conservative in my estimates," said art dealer Graham Britz, of Graham's Fine Art Gallery in Fourways, which is handling the sale of the 133 items.
It includes work by Irma Stern, whose painting, Woman Sewing Karos, is valued between R5m and R7m.
"I expect the Maggies and the Irmas to do well," said Britz.
Excellent eye for a good investment
Several works by Maggie Loubser, JF Pierneef, William Kentridge, George Pemba, Walter Battiss, Thomas Bowler and Vladimir Tretchikoff are up for auction, paintings which Britz said proved Kebble's excellent eye for a good investment.
"He did pretty well; he did exceptionally well," said Britz, referring to Kebble's choice in artwork.
"His art collection is the largest contribution to this estate."
It is estimated that Kebble, at the time of his death, owed gold mining house JCI R100m and the SA Revenue Service R180m.
His estate is insolvent. Kebble was shot dead in Johannesburg in September 2005. Convicted drug trafficker Glen Agliotti was arrested for his death, which Agliotti claimed was an "assisted suicide".
- SAPA