This Day in History: November 8, 1999
Additional Date: November 8, 1999
South African prolific painter Irma Stern was born in 1894. She studied art in Germany where she was influenced by Pechstein’s expressionist style. Stern gained master status in her chosen still life and portrait genres. However, her paintings often garnered controversy especially in her depiction of Black people. Stern died in 1966 and her home in Cape Town has been converted into a museum dedicated to her.
In 1999 a painting by Stern was auctioned for a record breaking R1.1 million. Her paintings have since broken that record five times, with the latest being the 2011 sale of her painting for R34 million.