World Auction Record: Vladimir Tretchikoff – Strauss & Co, Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, 27 May 2025 – Strauss & Co, Africa’s leading auction house, set a new world record for Russia-born South African painter Vladimir Tretchikoff on Tuesday night with the sale of his 1955 portrait Lady from the Orient for R31 110 000 / US$1 735 409 / £1 285 418. The iconic painting was sold to an anonymous telephone bidder after a dramatic flurry of 89 bids, narrowly beating a determined in-room contender at the live auction in Johannesburg. The final price, inclusive of commission and taxes, comfortably eclipses the previous world record for a Tretchikoff work, set at £982 050 in March 2013 at a London auction for Chinese Girl (1952). Time Stamps: Intro Lot 239, Vladimir Tretchikoff - Lady from the Orient 00:00 Bidding Starts at R4.5 Million 01:13 Bid reaches R8.5 million 04:02 Bid reaches R12.5 million 07:05 Bid reaches R16.5 million 10:19 Bid reaches R20.5 million 12:05 World Record is Broken at R23 million 13:20 Bid reaches R24.5 million 14:40 Bid reaches R27.2 million 18:01