Strauss & Co, South Africa’s leading auction house, set a new world record for Russia-born South African painter, Vladimir Tretchikoff. They have just sold his 1955 Lady from the Orient for R31 892 000!
On 27 May 2025, an anonymous telephone bidder faced off against a determined in-room contender for the ownership of Lady from the Orient. After a dramatic flurry of 89 bids, the Tretchikoff portrait was finally sold for a record-breaking R31 892 000 (£1 314 891).
This sale eclipsed the previous world record for a Tretchikoff work, set at £982 050 in March 2013 at a London auction for Chinese Girl (1952).
Furthermore, the auction in its entirety yielded strong results for artworks by William Kentridge, George Pemba, JH Pierneef, Gerard Sekoto and Anton Van Wouw. This reaffirms the growing interest in South African art and subsequent cross-sections of it. The 100-lot sale of modern and contemporary art earned a combined total of over R62.9 million.
Lady from the Orient (1955) depicts 21-year-old Valerie Howe, daughter of a Cape Town grocer. It is also one of Tretchikoff’s most recognisable works. He drew inspiration from Pre-Raphaelite paintings and Golden Age Hollywood glamour. This resulted in Valerie Howe painted in a vivid green silk gown rendered in Tretchikoff’s signature technicolour palette.
Furthermore, this art piece is one in a small group of iconic images Tretchikoff produced during the decade following his move to South Africa in 1946. Lady from the Orient rose to fame in 1960s Britain when a printed edition went viral.
South African art and artists seem to be on their way up in terms of international popularity and recognition of their investment value. Tretchikoff’s Lady from the Orient (1955) is just the start.
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