💨 Abstract

Irma Stern’s 1946 portrait *Malay (Black Headdress)* sold for R21.7 million ($1.26 million) at Strauss & Co’s auction, the highest price ever paid for a Stern portrait of a female sitter in Africa. The piece, in private hands for over 50 years, attracted fierce bidding from multiple continents. Stern’s rising international prominence, including a Berlin exhibition and Venice Biennale feature, contributed to the record sale.

Courtesy: Garrin Lambley