Fellows Auctioneers Ltd

Haselhorst's Early Beginnings and Influences

Antoinette Haselhorst was born in South Africa to German parents. During her childhood, she witnessed the social impact of apartheid on the country. Later in life, she would revisit these childhood experiences through the lens of her camera.

Between 1998 and 2002, Haselhorst embarked on a project entitled ‘Reflections on Nelson Mandela: Icon of Peace’. In this project, she combined the words and images of ordinary and extraordinary people. The aim was to answer the question “What do you think society, mankind and humanity can learn from Nelson Mandela’s values and virtues?”. Among the contributors were Kate Moss, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Naomi Campbell and Richard Branson. This documentary into the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela established her place in the ranks of photographers of the early 21^st century.

More recently, Haselhorst has built a career as a gallerist and curator. She is the founder of C-A-K-E (Contemporary Art Keen Enthusiast). In this project, she offers people a ‘slice of art’ through affordable art fairs and her commitment to platforming work from emerging artists. She photographs each artist featured at her art gallery eating a piece of cake, paying homage to the gallery's namesake.

Antoinette Haselhorst: Motherhood

Her photographic book and exhibition Motherhood was a culmination of her emotional journey of ‘overwhelming love’ towards her son, Nikolas. For Haselhorst, the millennium represented a critical point in her career. She released the Motherhood book in 2000 - an anthology of portraits with accompanying short comments from those she captured. By photographing women in private environments, she conveys the home intimacies of motherhood. Some of the women she includes within the series are portraits of food writer Nigella Lawson; film producer and screenwriter Jane Goldman; and jeweller Solange Azagury Partridge.

The Motherhood exhibition debuted at Proud Galleries in 2000, sponsored by De Beers and Mappin & Webb. Haselhorst wanted to show motherhood as being synonymous with being glamorous. She depicted some of her subjects adorned with dazzling diamonds. She shows model Lisa Butcher wearing a £250,000 diamond ring by De Beers. This was nicknamed ‘the house’ for its ability to purchase a property in the year 2000. In another image, a woman is shown grappling with her child trying to protect her De Beers tiara from their grasp.

Antoinette Haselhorst and De Beers

De Beers gave a gift to Haselhorst in recognition of their involvement with the Motherhood book and exhibition. She received, fittingly, a diamond.

The loose, unmounted diamond inspired Haselhorst to produce a concept photography piece. The diamond takes the place of a prescription pill that rests on the tongue before being ingested. The temporality Haselhorst ascribes to the diamond trivialises its common association with longevity; hinting at De Beers’ famous advertising phrase: a diamond is forever.

Haselhorst has since made a ring with this diamond, which we sold in one of our Jewellery auctions in May 2024.