Olympia Auctions to Offer DinksFãStan South African Art
The Cambridge-based private collection, spanning nearly a century of artistic production, goes under the hammer in London on 11 November 2026.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Fine Art
Olympia Auctions will offer the DinksFãStan Private Collection of South African art at its Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art sale in London on 11 November 2026. The Cambridge-based, family-owned collection spans nearly a century of artistic production.
Why it matters
The sale brings a selection from a family-owned private collection of South African art to the international auction market. Its offering spans artists from the early 20th century through the present day, giving buyers a view of the country's artistic production over nearly a century.
Pre-sale estimates place Pierneef's watercolours Dar El Salem and Port Sudan at £4,500-£6,500 each, and Boonzaier's South African Farm at £1,500-£2,000. Final prices will depend on bidding at the 11 November 2026 sale, which has not yet taken place.
The players
Olympia Auctions
London-based auction house hosting the sale of the DinksFãStan Private Collection as part of its Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art sale.
Gregoire Boonzaier
South African painter and founding member and first chairman of the New Group, whose work South African Farm is offered at the sale.
Irma Stern
Prominent South African modernist painter whose work is among the artists represented in the broader collection.
The details
The collection was assembled over many years through direct acquisitions from artists and established art market sources, and is offered as a selection from the wider private collection within a single themed auction sale. Lots include Pierneef watercolours painted during a 1926 honeymoon voyage along Africa's eastern coastline, and Gregoire Boonzaier's South African Farm, with proceeds benefiting the Ruwenzori Foundation.
Timeline
1921: Tinus de Jongh moves from the Netherlands to South Africa.
1926: Pierneef paints watercolours during his honeymoon voyage along Africa's east coast.
1937: Gregoire Boonzaier becomes founding member and first chairman of the New Group.
11 November 2026: Olympia Auctions holds the Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art sale in London.
Market Landscape
The offering draws on artists tied to the New Group, founded in South Africa in 1937, which shaped the country's modernist movement. Works by these figures now circulate through specialist sales in London, where African and Middle Eastern art has its own dedicated auction category.
Collectors and art enthusiasts can view and bid on works from the collection through Olympia Auctions' sale in London on 11 November 2026. Those unable to attend in person can follow the auction through the house's bidding channels for the same date.
The takeaway
South African modernism remains a living market, with works from its founding generation still changing hands across international salerooms. Collectors tracking the field can use the pre-sale estimates for the 11 November 2026 sale as a benchmark for values in this category.
What happens next
The Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art sale takes place at Olympia Auctions in London on 11 November 2026, when final prices for the DinksFãStan lots will be set.
Further reading
For more on the artistic traditions behind these works, explore Fine Art.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ART AFRICA Magazine - Contemporary Art from Africa And The Diaspora, Painting, Sculpture, Writing.
