A rare Andy Warhol screenprint is going on sale in Cape Town this June.
Strauss & Co’s upcoming live-virtual auction on 24 June will feature Vesuvius, a vibrant colour screenprint from 1985 by the late American pop artist. It’s expected to fetch between R1.2 million and R1.5 million.
The work is one of 250 editions and comes signed and numbered, complete with the Rupert Jasen Smith chopmark.
Warhol made Vesuvius near the end of his life. Like much of his later work, it balances beauty with darker themes. This one explores the tension between violence and spectacle, using the famous volcano as its centrepiece.
“The cover lot for our winter sale is Andy Warhol’s Vesuvius (estimate R1.2–1.5 million / $67 650–84 560), a striking screenprint depicting the famed Italian volcano near Naples,” says Elmarie van Straaten, Head of Sale at Strauss & Co. “Created in 1985, this late work reflects Warhol’s deepening engagement with themes of mortality and legacy. Combining beauty, violence and repetition, the piece stands as a powerful meditation on the anxieties of modern life. Although by no means a regular in our auctions, Strauss & Co have an excellent track record handling his work, with 87% of lots offered finding new homes.”
The auction will be streamed live from Cape Town and is part of Strauss & Co’s June sale of modern and contemporary art. For those keen to get a closer look, the Warhol and other featured pieces are on view at Brickfield Canvas in Woodstock, Cape Town, until the auction date. Pre-auction sundowners will be held on Thursday, 19 June, from 6–7pm.
And if you’re into local names, there’s plenty more on the lineup: works by Georgina Gratix, William Kentridge, Vladimir Tretchikoff, and Athi-Patra Ruga are also on the cards.
The live-virtual auction begins at 7pm on Tuesday, 24 June 2025. For details and the full e-catalogue, visit www.straussart.co.za.
AUCTION DETAILS:
🖼 Auction: 24 June 2025 at 7pm
📍 Preview venue: Brickfield Canvas, 35 Brickfield Rd, Woodstock
