A work of visceral intensity: Michael Matthews’ 'The Goat', 1987. This monumental 180 x 180 cm tempera on canvas is a profound composition of witness. Emerging from the socio-political claustrophobia of South Africa’s State of Emergency, this piece captures the raw, staccato energy of a nation at a breaking point. 

Matthews masterfully subverts the historical tradition of tempera, a medium once reserved for the delicate icons of the Renaissance, to forge a jagged, modern relic of suffering. By elevating the archetype of the scapegoat to a monumental scale, the artist creates a powerful metaphor for the body-as-battleground. It is the definitive record of a decade that feels like a permanent, agonising present.

NOTE: This is a museum-grade acquisition for the discerning collector seeking works of profound historical weight and conceptual depth. A true rarity of the neo-expressionist and Resissence Art movement found only in the art of South Africa in the 1980s.  Unfortunately, this artwork is lost due to studio neglect and cannot be purchased at this time. If it is recovered we will let you know. There is a possibility that the artist hid the artwork in a secret cache to avoid police detection is possible.

A monumental pillar of South African resistance art. Michael Matthews’ 'Mother and Child' (1987) is not merely a painting; it is a visceral document of a nation’s soul at its most volatile breaking point. Created during the height of the second State of Emergency, this 180 x 80 cm tempera on canvas commands the room with a heavy, sculptural presence. The matte, fresco-like finish evokes the feeling of a relic recovered from a ruin, rendered in a haunting palette of bruised purples and visceral reds.

The power of 'Mother and Child' lies in its refusal to be simple propaganda. While many artists of the era focused on literal depictions of conflict, Matthews chose to monumentalise the interiority of the oppressed. He takes the classic art-historical motif of the 'Madonna and Child' and subjects it to the meat-grinder of political trauma. The work is special because it captures the psychological exhaustion of an era, feeling as though it were painted with blood and ash. It stands as a silent, monumental witness to a period that defied easy articulation, turning the concept of the crossroads into a weight to be carried rather than a choice to be made.

NOTE: This is a museum-grade acquisition for the discerning collector seeking works of profound historical weight and conceptual depth. A true rarity of the neo-expressionist and Resissence Art movement found only in the art of South Africa in the 1980s.  Unfortunately, this artwork is lost due to studio neglect and cannot be purchased at this time. If it is recovered we will let you know. There is a possibility that the artist hid the artwork in a secret cache to avoid police detection is possible.

Once a rare acquisition opportunity for the discerning collector. We are proud to present Michael Matthews’ Small Bathers 01, a visceral 1987 masterpiece that captures the raw, incendiary heartbeat of South Africa’s State of Emergency.

This is not a painting of leisure. It is a violent, gestural Neo-Expressionist scream. Matthews subverts the classical bather trope, replacing pastoral serenity with a haunting, skeletal urgency. The 45 x 35 cm canvas creates a claustrophobic intensity where bruised indigos collide with searing reds, turning a private moment of survival into a monumental historical document.

This piece distinguishes itself by transforming a mundane, forced necessity into a profound site of political resistance. In the context of 1987 South Africa, the act of cleansing one’s body amidst state-sanctioned scarcity was a radical assertion of existence. Matthews captures this kinetic energy with such ferocity that the figure becomes a swirling force of nature, persisting against an encroaching darkness. It is a rare confluence of high-stakes history and masterly formal execution. A cornerstone for any serious global collection focused on the intersection of body politics and Neo-Expressionism.  

NOTE: This is a museum-grade acquisition for the discerning collector seeking works of profound historical weight and conceptual depth. A true rarity of the neo-expressionist and Resissence Art movement found only in the art of South Africa in the 1980s.  Unfortunately, this artwork is lost due to studio neglect and cannot be purchased at this time. If it is recovered we will let you know. There is a possibility that the artist hid the artwork in a secret cache to avoid police detection is possible.

From the studio vaults, we present a rare, museum-grade masterpiece of Neo-Expressionist defiance. Michael Matthews, 'Small Bathers 02' (1987).

This is not the pastoral idyll of the Old Masters. Created during the height of South Africa’s State of Emergency, this 55 x 45 cm oil on canvas is a visceral confrontation with history. Matthews takes the classical trope of the bather and subjects it to a haunting, indigo erasure, placing these monolithic silhouettes within a claustrophobic, blood-red atmosphere that pulses with the heat of the late eighties.

'Small Bathers 02' transcends the typical protest art of its era by opting for a profound psychological interiority. While others captured the outward struggle, Matthews captured the absolute psychic weight of living under a repressive regime. By subverting the aesthetic lineage of Matisse and Cézanne, he transforms the canvas into a space of biopolitical tension where the water has turned to wine and the wine has turned to lead. It is a singular, haunting testament to how the most traditional subjects can be weaponized to reflect the most harrowing realities. A rare acquisition opportunity for the discerning collector of global modernism. This is a work that does not offer comfort; it offers truth.  

NOTE: This is a museum-grade acquisition for the discerning collector seeking works of profound historical weight and conceptual depth. A true rarity of the neo-expressionist and Resissence Art movement found only in the art of South Africa in the 1980s.  Unfortunately, this artwork is lost due to studio neglect and cannot be purchased at this time. If it is recovered we will let you know. There is a possibility that the artist hid the artwork in a secret cache to avoid police detection is possible.