Alexis Preller (South African, 1911-1975)
The Gold Temple
signed and dated 'Preller 68' (lower right)
oil and gold leaf on gesso on panel
86.1 x 98.7cm (33 7/8 x 38 7/8in).
signed and dated 'Preller 68' (lower right)
oil and gold leaf on gesso on panel
86.1 x 98.7cm (33 7/8 x 38 7/8in).
Estimate:
£25,000 - 35,000
ZAR 360,000 - 500,000
US$ 38,000 - 53,000
ZAR 360,000 - 500,000
US$ 38,000 - 53,000
Footnotes
- The present lot is one of a series of 'Gold Temples' or 'Temples of the Sun' (circa 1963-1968), and bears a remarkable resemblance to the central canvas of Gold Temple, 1966, a triptych exhibited at the Pretoria Art Museum retrospective in 1972 (cat. 129).
"Preller did not use gold leaf in the paintings of this period solely for its ornamental value. Gold, he felt, reflected the divine light of spirituality. It had associations with the sacred solar discs of the Egyptians; it symbolised the radiance of enlightenment to Buddhists."
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
E. Berman & K. Nel, Alexis Preller: Collected Images, (Johannesburg, 2009), pp.208-211
Category: Fine Art / South African Art
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