Again, a monthly car boot sale did not disappoint. On offer this time were some 65 contemporary photographs mainly dating from 1966 which showpiece work by the Johannesburg based sculptress Lily Sachs (1914-2003).
As usual the question arises – why would someone discard such imagery? Unless of course they were discarded after being digitally scanned – which still does not make sense.
The good news is that someone had the foresight to place the photographs on auction with a second person having the foresight to buy the subsequent batched paperwork in order to make a profit from an onward sale.
Just these two actions alone assist in capturing valuable art history in the form of this article.
The photographic find did not “speak” to me at first in that there was no upfront indication as to who the artist may have been – even though she appears in some of the photographs.
After purchasing the batch, one hint did however assist in determining who she was. Amongst the photographs was a single leaflet which contained the name Lily Sachs. This leaflet related to her first solo exhibition during February 1966 held at Gallery 101 in Johannesburg. Without this leaflet, containing Lily’s name, the material may well have been lost forever.
Lily Sachs – a brief history
Born on 7 December 1914 in Johannesburg, Lily Sachs (Finn) was the daughter to Harry Finn & Millie Davidson. She was the sister to Louis and Mickey Finn. Lily was married to Theodore Hyman (Teddy) Sachs...
