Lot 66: Albert Adams (South African, 1929-2006) Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch
oil on canvas
153 x 153cm (60 1/4 x 60 1/4in).

Exhibited:
Cape Town, South African National Gallery, 'Albert Adams', 2002;
Salford, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, 'South African Art', 2004;
Antwerp, University of Antwerp, 2005.

Literature:
Martin, M. & Dolby, J., Albert Adams, journey on a tightrope, illustrated fig 6, pg. 37.

In his printmaking Adams was strongly influenced by the prints of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770), more specifically the Scherzi di Fantasi series. In fact, Anthony Gross (1905-84), who was the major influence on Adam's printmaking, noted Tiepolo's predilection for depicting serpents under the strong Southern light, "on each plate a serpent wriggles and unites itself round a stick". The serpent of Tiepolo's fantasies re-appears in the above painting and is found lurking among the voluptuousness of the brightly coloured strelitzias.