An auction bringing together prominent names from South Africa’s art world will support animal welfare programmes across Cape Town later this month, with donated works going under the hammer in Bo-Kaap.
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The African Tails Art Auction will take place at the Erik & Claude Foundation on 17 September, with all proceeds from the event directed towards the organisation’s work with neglected and vulnerable dogs and cats, including rescue, rehabilitation, feeding and sterilisation.
The Cape Town-based animal welfare organisation announced the line-up in a press release dated 9 September, confirming that artists and galleries including Wilma Cruise, Galia Gluckman, Georgina Gratrix, Warren Maroon, Vusumzi Nkomo, Kilmany-Jo Liversage, Josie Borain and Goodman Gallery have donated works to this year’s auction.
The event also coincides with African Tails’ 20th anniversary, placing the fundraiser within two decades of work focused on animal welfare and pet care in communities across the city and surrounding areas.
Art meets animal welfare
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Curated by art consultant Phillippa Duncan, the auction is African Tails’ largest annual fundraiser.
Rather than functioning solely as an art sale, the event is intended to generate funding for programmes that operate beyond individual animal rescues.
The organisation’s work includes mass sterilisation, feeding, treatment, rehabilitation and pet-care education in communities where access to animal welfare services can be limited.
African Tails says it has sterilised more than 18 000 dogs and cats since it was established in Cape Town in 2006.
It has also rehomed more than 2 900 animals, treated more than 4 400, and provided food to more than 18 800 dogs and cats living on the streets and in surrounding communities.
African Tails places mass sterilisation at the centre of its approach to animal welfare, alongside education on responsible pet care.
The organisation points to the reproductive capacity of unsterilised animals as one of the factors contributing to the number of unwanted dogs and cats requiring care.
One female dog and her offspring can potentially produce up to 67 000 puppies over six years, the organisation states, highlighting why sterilisation forms a major part of its work.
Yael Sacks, trustee and co-founder of African Tails, said the organisation’s educational programmes are intended to have an impact beyond animal care.
‘African Tails creates lasting change through mass sterilisation and pet care education in under-resourced communities. The impact of education transcends pet care, helping to foster life skills such as responsibility, empathy and accountability,’ says Sacks.
A 20-year milestone for African Tails
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For African Tails, the 2026 auction also marks two decades since the organisation was founded in Cape Town.
Sacks described this year’s fundraiser as both a key source of funding and an opportunity to mark the organisation’s work since 2006.
‘This year’s Art Auction is not only our most important fundraiser, it’s also a celebration of 20 years of hard work and positive change. We are thrilled and so grateful to the artists who have generously donated such wonderful pieces. Every rand raised will help us continue our lifesaving work. It’s also a fun night where people can meet the artists and discuss the piece over a glass of wine!’ Sacks adds.
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The combination of donated contemporary art and an animal welfare fundraiser places the event within Cape Town’s wider creative and philanthropic landscape, while keeping the proceeds focused on the organisation’s programmes.
The in-person auction will be held from 6pm to 8pm on 17 September at the Erik & Claude Foundation in Bo-Kaap.
Tickets cost R100 and are available through African Tails’ website and Instagram account.
For those unable to attend in person, the artworks will also be available through BidPro, with online bidding remaining open until 30 September.
The auction therefore offers two ways to participate, while retaining the same central purpose: directing funds towards African Tails’ ongoing work with dogs and cats across Cape Town and surrounding communities.
As the organisation enters its 20th year, the September auction will put donated works from established South African artists and galleries into a fundraising setting where the value of the artworks extends beyond the sale itself.
Picture: Supplied
Picture: Supplied
Article previously shared by Cape Etc.
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