Artist: William Kentridge
Lives: Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa
Age:63
Represented by:Annandale Galleries (sole Australian representation)
His thing.Large scale prints and drawings, small sculptures and maquettes relating to opera and multi-media performances.
Our take.Over the past decade South Africa’s William Kentridge has become one of the world’s leading contemporary artists, known for an oeuvrethat ranges from etching to full-scale theatrical productions. As a complement to Kentridge’s that which we do not remember, at the Art Gallery of NSW (until 3 Feb, 2019), Annandale Galleries is hosting the show, Right Into Her Arms. The title comes from Alban Berg’s opera, Lulu, which Kentridge directed for Amsterdam, New York and London in 2015.
He quickly went on to direct Berg’s earlier opera, Wozzeck. It debuted in Salzburg in 2017, and is set to travel to Sydney in January, then on to New York and Toronto.
Kentridge’s recent work also includes two gigantic multi-media pieces: Triumphs and Laments, in Rome, in April 2016; and The Head and the Load, at the Tate Modern, London, in July this year. Given the complexity of these projects, which involved hundreds of collaborators, one can only gasp at Kentridge’s energy and productivity.
Annandale Galleries, which has been showing the artist’s work since 1995, has put together an exhibition that includes drawings, sculptures, large-scale prints, and even a model theatre for Lulu. It’s a concentrated overview of four highly productive years.
Can I afford it?It’s difficult to name a record price for someone that creates operas, suites of prints and installations. Bill Gregory of Annandale Galleries says “over a million” would be a conservative estimate. This show’s most expensive item is the model theatre, Right Into Her Arms (244cm by 300 cm by 125cm), at $550,000. It’s the last of an edition of three, and has an audio-visual component that runs for 11 minutes. Other works are more accessibly priced, with the cheapest being the etching, Rider (40.5cm by 50cm, ed. 40), for $6,500. Anyone who started collected Kentridge in 1995 has made a sound investment.
Where can I have a squiz?
Annandale Galleries, 110 Trafalgar St. Annandale, Sydney
6 October – 8 December, 2018. annandalegalleries.com.au
Published in The Good Weekend, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 October, 2018