Tretchikoff’s art has once again sparked international attention with a high-profile auction achieving a record-breaking sale at Strauss & Co, with the sale of his 1955 portrait Lady from the Orient for R31 110 000 / US$1 735 409 / £1 285 418

Lady from the Orient depicts 21-year-old Valerie Howe, daughter of a Cape Town grocer, and is one of Tretchikoff’s most recognisable works. Drawing inspiration from Pre-Raphaelite painting and Golden Age Hollywood glamour, the portrait features Howe in a vivid green silk gown rendered in Tretchikoff’s signature Technicolor palette. The work belongs to a small group of iconic images produced by the artist during the decade following his move to South Africa in 1946. A print edition of Lady from the Orient became a popular sensation in 1960s Britain.

Vladimir Tretchikoff
South African 1913-2006