Investing in art requires in-depth knowledge of and appreciation for fine art and artists. If you’re interested in investing in local art, it pays to know who the most bankable artists are.

Irma Stern

Irma Stern was born in 1894 in the former Transvaal. She gained a following in Europe long before her art was recognised in South Africa. Her inaugural exhibition was in Berlin in 1919.

After her death in 1966, Stern’s home in Rosebank was turned into a museum in her name.

In 2023, an Irma Stern painting, Children Reading the Koran, set a record for an African artwork sold at auction on the African continent. It went under the hammer for R22.3 million.

As of 2025, Irma Stern is the most valuable South African artist. Her paintings sell for an average of R5 million. The highest value recorded for one of her paintings is R87.3 million for Arab Priest.

Dumile Feni

Known as the Goya of the Townships, Dumile Feni was born in Worcester in the Western Cape in 1942. He moved to London and later New York, where he died in 1991.

His monochromatic drawings depicting the impact of apartheid on black lives are his most famous and highly valued works.

Today, an original Feni fetches anywhere between R25,000 and R900,000, depending on the media used and size of the work.

A rare mixed media colour piece by Feni, Blue Suede Shoe, changed hands for a little over R2.28 million at auction in 2023, a world record for a Feni.

JH Pierneef

Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef is another South African master. He was born in 1886 in Pretoria and was best known for his landscapes of the highveld. His use of flat planes and geometrics makes his art distinctive.

Pierneef’s art is displayed around the world, in private and public collections. His paintings sell for an average of about R800,000.

The highest recorded sale for one of his paintings is R28 million for Farm Jonkershoek with Twin Peaks Beyond, Stellenbosch. Pierneef’s Highveld Landscape fetched R8 million at a 2023 auction.

Marlene Dumas

Marlene Dumas is a contemporary artist born in Cape Town in 1953. She studied visual arts at the University of Cape Town and in the Netherlands, where she lives.

Dumas is best known for her paintings and drawings exploring race, sexuality and human emotions. Her work can be found in museum collections around the world.

The Visitor, an oil painting depicting a group of prostitutes standing before an open door, sold for a record £3,177,250 (R65 million) in 2008.

Last year, total sales of her work reached close to R75 million.

Maggie Laubser

Maggie Laubser is often credited, along with Irma Stern, for introducing Impressionism to South Africa. She was born in 1886 in the Cape and studied in London.

Laubser developed a style that embraced elements of Modernism and German Expressionism. Her paintings average about R600,000, but some have sold for R5 million.

In 2010 her work, Flamingos on the Beach, went for more than R2.67 million at auction.

Alexis Preller

A South African painter born in 1911, Alexis Preller studied in London and Paris. His work is heavily influenced by Van Gogh and Gaugin.

Preller’s paintings average R600,000, but have fetched up to R20 million. The Garden of Eden sold for a record R21 million at auction.

In 2023, a portrait of an African woman in traditional dress, The Red Blanket, achieved R6.9 million.

Gerard Sekoto

Gerard Sekoto was a painter and musician born in 1913. He’s known as the pioneer of urban black art and social realism.

His work has been exhibited all over the world, including in Paris and Washington.

Many of his works offer social perspectives of the time. Sekoto’s paintings average R400,000.

His most expensive painting sold for R5 million. In 2023, a 1946 Street Scene was snapped up for more than R2.8 million.

Vladimir Tretchikoff

Vladimir Tretchikoff wasn’t born in South Africa but is still listed by the Afrasia South Africa Wealth Report 2019 as one of our most valuable artists. Tretchikoff lived in Cape Town from 1946 until his death in 2006.

Tretchikoff was self-taught and is known for his “kitsch” painting style. Many of his paintings are portraits.

His work regularly sells for hundreds of thousands, with the record for a single Tretchikoff painting being almost R20 million. His most famous painting, Chinese Girl, sold for more than R19 million.

In 2023, a still life by Tretchikoff, Still Life with Magnolias in a Vase, went for more than R4 million. 

Sydney Kumalo

South African sculptor Sydney Kumalo was born in 1935 in Sophiatown. He studied under Cecil Skotnes in Polly Street.

Kumalo is known for his unique, expressive and contemporary African style.

His sculptures regularly sell for hundreds of thousands at auction. In 2021, a bronze by Kumalo, Mythological Rider, sold for R1,932,560.

William Kentridge

William Kentridge is a contemporary South African artist. He was born in 1955 in Johannesburg.

Kentridge is best known for his prints, drawings and animated films. His work has been displayed at galleries and museums around the world.

In 2022, total sales of artworks by Kentridge were valued at R82.8 million. His most valuable piece is Procession, which sold for the equivalent of R27 million.

John Meyer

John Meyer was born in 1942 in Bloemfontein and studied at the Johannesburg Technical College School of Art. He specialises in landscapes and portraits, and is known for his photo-realistic style of painting.

Meyer’s paintings sell for an average of around R300,000. In 2015, Waterberg Wanderings went for a record R1.2 million at Bonhams in London.

Anton van Wouw

Anton van Wouw was born in the Netherlands in 1862 but is considered to be the father of South African sculpture. He moved to Pretoria at the age of 28 and received his first commission 10 years later.

Anton van Wouw’s statues can still be seen all over South Africa. In 2019, a bronze small-scale model of the Paul Kruger Statue in Church Square, Pretoria sold at auction for R10 million.

Pieter Hugo Naude

Born on a farm outside Worcester in 1869, Pieter Hugo Naude is recognised as one of South Africa’s foremost impressionists.

Naude’s vibrant landscapes of Namaqualand in spring are particularly sought-after, and typically sell for hundreds of thousands of rand.

At a 2023 auction, a painting titled Namaqualand, Springtime went for R866,438.

Pieter Wenning 

Pieter Wenning was born in Holland in 1873 and relocated to South Africa at the age of 32. He’s credited with developing the Cape Impressionism style of painting. His use of rich green hues is particularly notable.

Wenning’s still life and landscape paintings sell for between R250,000 and R500,000.

The highest price paid for a Wenning is R519,863 for an oil titled Skoolgebou Bishopscourt.

Unlocking the value of art (without selling)

Fine art forms part of many valuable investment portfolios. When appropriate, it can be sold to convert its value into capital. It can also be used to secure an asset-based loan – without affecting its value or your ownership of it. 

At Lamna, we offer short-term asset-based loans against valuable pieces of art.

This is a safe way to get cash quickly without negatively affecting your investments. For more information or to secure a loan, contact us on 086 111 2866 or simply complete and submit our online application form.