If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I’m obsessed with thrifting and buying second-hand. I love shopping at charity shops and second-hand shops and salvage yards. But shopping at auctions was, at least until last week, a concept I’d given very little thought to. Auctions are for expensive, big-ticket items, I thought — items like apartment buildings, or Picassos, or grand pianos played by Liberace. Auctions, I thought, are for the rich.

Then I received an email from Russell Kaplan Auctioneers, inviting me to come check out their showroom before their upcoming Summer Wunderkammer (which means “Cabinet of Curiosities” in German). I agreed, thinking it would be a fun opportunity to take pictures of fancy antiques and artworks that rich people would bid on.

Moments after walking through the door, I realized I was wrong: One of the people bidding at the Russell Kaplan Summer Wunderkammer, which opens on 3 March, will definitely be me.

Pieces of art waiting to be displayed for opening night at Russell Kaplan Auctioneers. Could I imagine this impala skull (Lot 6457) in my house? Yes — yes I could.

A mid-century Eames desk chair (Lot 7993) that I covet. 

A mid-century sofa (Lot 7743) — Russell Kaplan calls it a settee, which sounds much more sophisticated — that I would love to own.

I’m not sure what I’d do with this Murano hand-blown glass poodle figurine (Lot 2795), but I definitely want it.

I asked Russell Kaplan for studio shots of some of the items, as my photos don’t do them justice.

Visiting Russell Kaplan Auctioneers

My visit to Russell Kaplan cleared up a couple of misconceptions I’d had about these auctions. First: Not everything up for auction is super expensive. Although there are many valuable antiques and other big-ticket items in the catalogue, there also are many things that sell for less than 5000, 3000, or even 1000 rand.

I hope I can afford this amazing orange glass-and-chrome coffee table (Lot 8021). I like the red carpet, too.

Second: The Russell Kaplan auctions take place online. There are no white gloves or top hats, and no holding up little cards as a fast-talking auctioneer on a dais calls out ever-elevating prices. (I must confess, I was slightly disappointed to learn this doesn’t happen anymore.) Instead, prospective buyers are invited to attend a series of in-person viewing events, where they can browse everything up for auction — they can also view everything remotely via the Russell Kaplan website and app — and then bid online over a series of days. Russell Kaplan sells everything on consignment, meaning the original seller gets most of the proceeds and Russell Kaplan receives a commission.

I had a brief chat with Russell himself, who is a lovely person, and it was really interesting to hear how his business has evolved over the last few decades. Russell started buying and selling things as a teenager in the 1980s, and had an antique shop on Rockey Street in Yeoville for a time. He built up his business selling at weekend flea markets, and eventually got into auctioning when the contents of the historic Villa Arcadia mansion in Parktown were being sold.

Russell Kaplan’s live auctions steadily gained in popularity over the years, but the company was forced to change dramatically — and fast — when the covid pandemic hit in 2020. Suddenly unable to hold a live auction, Russell and Alex, the company’s manager and head of the art department, quickly pivoted to an online model for the auction they already had planned for March 2020.

The online auction was a hit. “People were at home, bored,” Russell said, and more customers bid than ever before. Online auctions are less intimidating and “take the starch out of auctioning.”

Russell Kaplan staff hard at work preparing for the auction.

Russell (right) with Alexander Horsler (left), Russell Kaplan’s manager and head of the art department. The work they’re standing in front of (Lot 6890) is by the 20th-century surrealist painter Joan Miró; this is obviously one of the big-ticket items (maybe the biggest?) in the upcoming auction.

Thanks to the popularity of their online auctions, Russell Kaplan recently moved into a massive space on Republic Road in Ferndale. Auctions take place five times a year; this month’s auction has about 8,500 (!) lots.

Russell Kaplan was delightfully chaotic during my visit last week, with curators, porters, cleaners, stylists, and electricians scurrying about getting ready for the opening viewing on 3 March. I picked my way carefully through the chaos, marveling at all the beautiful furniture, art, ceramics, objets d’art, and vintage fashion.

I’m obsessed with this tableaux, especially the horse.

It’s a “Chinese Tang-style glazed terracotta horse” (Lot 7795). I love it. 

Vintage designer scarves.

“Produced by Zanetti Murano circa 1970, these hand-blown glass birds by Licio Zanetti feature purple inclusions, black trim, and brass legs.” (Lot 2798)

Obsessed! (Lot 1594)

Studio portrait of the ceramics set above. I also love the caption: “This eight-piece collection includes seven Clarice Cliff ‘Bizarre’ items in the ‘Secrets’ pattern, featuring a milk jug, sugar basin, and two cup and saucer sets with a matching underplate. Completing the group is a ‘Fantasque’ underplate in the ‘Trees & House’ pattern, both illustrating the bold, Art Deco landscapes produced by the Newport Pottery during the 1930s.”

There is so much amazing art in this auction — this painting by Speelman Mahlangu is one of my favorites. (Lot 6927)

I could post a lot more pictures, but I don’t want to give away too much because I’m going back to Russell Kaplan for the opening viewing on Tuesday. I’m super excited to see all the delightful chaos organized into curated order. I’ll also be able to bid on things! Keep an eye on my social media later this week for live bidding updates, and I’ll also be publishing a second blog post about the bidding process.

If you’d like to attend the Tuesday viewing, which you definitely should — I hear there will be jazz and complimentary bubbles — or any future viewings (there are several), here is a list of the dates. And if you’re planning to bid on anything in the auction, Russell Kaplan has an app for that. Download here for Apple and here for Android. See you there.

Read Part 2 of the series.

This post is part of a paid partnership between Russell Kaplan Auctioneers and 2Summers. Opinions expressed are my own.