Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (South African, born 1918)
The Robben Island series:
1. The Cell
2. The Window
3. The Lighthouse
4. The Harbour
5. The Church
6. Artist's Motivation
each signed and numbered in pencil 'N Mandela 7/500' (below image)
hand-printed coloured lithographs
66.5 x 50cm (26 3/16 x 19 11/16in) each.
unframed
contained in the original portfolio
1. The Cell
2. The Window
3. The Lighthouse
4. The Harbour
5. The Church
6. Artist's Motivation
each signed and numbered in pencil 'N Mandela 7/500' (below image)
hand-printed coloured lithographs
66.5 x 50cm (26 3/16 x 19 11/16in) each.
unframed
contained in the original portfolio
Estimate:
£15,000 - 20,000
ZAR 220,000 - 290,000
US$ 23,000 - 30,000
ZAR 220,000 - 290,000
US$ 23,000 - 30,000
Footnotes
- PROVENANCE:
Acquired from the Mandela Gateway Gallery, Cape Town, August 2003
A private collection
The Robben Island series was sketched and completed by Nelson Mandela between March and June 2002. They are images that Mandela found meaningful both symbolically and emotionally during the period of his incarceration on the island.
The sketches have been executed in simple black charcoal lines with selected elements highlighted in pure pastel colours. The symbolism behind Mandela's choice in use of line, colour and composition is significant. Colour has symbolic value in African culture and it is this, and the simple use of line, that plays a dominant role in all the drawings.
The lithographs were originally sold in aid of the Nelson Mandela Trust.
Category: Fine Art / South African Art
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