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Dave’s Faves for the Bonhams auction on 22 April 2021

If you missed out on a major work by Ben Quilty, as in the sale of a budgie at Menzies for a record $270,000, all is not lost.

The chance to own one of his classic car series of paintings looms at Bonhams on Thursday evening: "Hill End Landscape #1", 2005, is offered with what now appear to be very conservative estimates of $60,000-90,000.

There are some wonderful examples of John Olsen's work and a very important painting by Margaret Preston (the cover lot 43, Australian Native Flowers), Eric Wilson, Sidney Nolan and Eric Thake in the 159 lots on offer.

Among a great selection of Aboriginal works, including a large collection of bark paintings, there is a major work by Ginger Riley on offer, measuring a massive 195 x 395 cm and estimated at $100,000-150,000 (lot 20).

For smaller homes and budgets , Trevor Nickolls' "Frog Corroboree" (lot 68) might just be the ticket: the small work of 25 x 20 cm comes with estimates of just $800-1,200 and has wonderful wall power for a fraction of the price.

The artworks are on view at 36-40 Queen Street, Woollahra, upstairs, until Tuesday, 20 April, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Go and see the artworks in person if you can, as this is the last of the major fine art auction for this season and concludes the auction trifecta next week.

The auction is held on Thursday, 22 April 2021, also at 36-40 Queen Street, Woollahra.

Online viewing is at the Bonhams website.

We will be attending the auction on the night and would be pleased to assist you with pre-purchase advice and bidding on the night. Contact us via email info@bhfineart.com or ring David on 0466 313 095.

And Dave's Faves for the Bonhams sale are:

[caption id="attachment_6620" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 2 - Ben Quilty, Hill End Landscape #1, 2005, oil, 110 x 140 cm, est. $60,000-90,000. Massive Increase in Second Hand Car Values[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6621" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 6 - Bill Henson, Untitled, 1992-93, type C photograph, 107 x 163 cm, est. $15,000-25,000. Makes me feel like moving to the Blue Mountains[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6622" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 11 - Richard Dunlop, Climber #1 and Climber #2, 2003, oil, 20 x 180 cm each, est. $6,000-9,000. You'll never tyre of this one[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6623" align="alignleft" width="152"] Lot 13 - Sally Gabori, Dibirdibi Country, 2007, synthetic polymer paint, est. $10,000-15,000. Long Tall Sally[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6624" align="alignleft" width="284"] Lot 22 - Brett Whiteley, The Cat, 1980, offset lithograph 55/100, 85 x 81 cm, est. $12,000-18,000. Cat-ch me if you can[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6625" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 25 - John Olsen, Kenya, mixed media on paper, 80 x 80 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. "G" yourself up[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6626" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 29 - Arthur Boyd, Plum Tree in Blossom with White House, c1939, oil, 43 x 49 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. Ripe for the Picking[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6627" align="alignleft" width="261"] Lot 32 - Bertram MacKennal, Salome, c1895, bronze, height 33cm incl base, est. $18,000-25,000. Swipe Right[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6628" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 37 - John Peter Russell, View of Sydney Harbour, c1926, pencil and gouache, est. $4,000-6,000. All Things Bright and Beautiful[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6629" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 33 - Hans Heysen, Goats Grazing on the Foreshore at Mosman, 1908, pastel and watercolour, 35 x 44 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. The Trouts once owned these Goats[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6630" align="alignleft" width="237"] Lot 40 - Eric Wilson, Paris, 1940s, oil, 50 x 40 cm, est. $18,000-25,000. Hello Sailor[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6631" align="alignleft" width="229"] Lot 70 - Sylvia Ken, Seven Sisters, 2016, synthetic polymer paint, 199 x 152.5 cm, est. $7,000-10,000. Heavenly Magic[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6632" align="alignleft" width="196"] Lot 90 - Tony Tuckson, Untitled (Red and Black), c1965, synthetic polymer paint on newspaper, 31 x 19 cm, $2,000-4,000. Red This, Read This[/caption]

The following blog post Dave’s Faves for the Bonhams auction on 22 April 2021 is available on: BH Fine Art Consultants

from Banziger Hulme - Feed https://www.bhfineart.com/daves-faves-for-bonhams-22-april-2021/ via https://www.bhfineart.com

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Dave’s Faves for the Smith & Singer Auction on 20 April 2021

In their fine art auction on 20 April in Sydney, Smith and Singer offer just 61 lots. However, there are some serious big hitters in the sale, and foremost among them is without a doubt lot 26, Frederick McCubbin's "What the Little Girl Saw in the Bush" from 1904. It commands not only eight pages in the auction catalogue, but is also presented in its own separate brochure. Considered one of McCubbin's masterpieces, it comes with  a distinguished provenance and extensive exhibition history and expectations of $1,200,000 to $1,600,000.

While the first seven lots are taken up by five eminent female Australian artists, the sale ends with two iconic prints by world famous artist Andy Warhol. In between, Smith & Singer offer a wide range of works encompassing the history of Australian art - everything from a goldfield impression by S.T. Gill to a sharp take on contemporary life by Michael Zavros.

You can view the artworks in Sydney from 14 to 20 April at 30 Queen Street in Woollahra.

The auction is held on Tuesday, 20 April, 6.3 pm, at the NCJWA, 111 Queen Street.

You can peruse the offerings online at the Smith & Singer website.

For due diligence and pre-purchase analysis, contact us on info@bhfineart.com and David Hulme on 0466 313 095. We would be delighted to assist you with astute advice and represent you on the night.

Dave's Faves are:

[caption id="attachment_6591" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 2 - Freda Robertshaw, Bushwalker's Camp, 1945, oil, 24 x 34 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Happy Campers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6592" align="alignleft" width="238"] Lot 6 - Constance Stokes, The Three Graces, 1951, oil, 70.2 x 55.9 cm, est. $60,000-80,000. Goodness and Gracious[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6593" align="alignleft" width="244"] Lot 7 - Grace Cossington Smith, Buttercups, 1944, oil, 31.5 x 26.5 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. Pass the Butter, Don't Pass the Buttercups[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6594" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 12 - Ian Fairweather, On the Lake, 1964, polymer and gouache, on cardboard on hardboard, 69 x 93 cm, est. $200,000-300,000. Anyone for Venice?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6595" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 16 - Jeffrey Smart, The Arezzo Turn-Off I, 1973, oil, 80 x 100 cm, est. $800,000-1,200,000. A Real Turn-On[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6596" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 19 - Jeffrey Smart, Containers and Silos at Livorno, 1990, oil, 72 x 95.5 cm, est. $450,000-650,000. Going Solo at the Silo[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6597" align="alignleft" width="242"] Lot 21 - Sidney Nolan, Ned Kelly: The Return, 1964, synthetic polymer paint, 152.5 x 122 cm, est. $500,000-700,000. Many Happy Returns[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6598" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 22 - Sidney Nolan, Near Birdsville, 1953, oil and enamel paint, 91.1 x 121.4 cm, est. $90,000-120,000. Sir Kenneth Clark could spot a Winner[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6599" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 24 - Arthur Streeton, Hobart 1938, oil, 102 x 152 cm, est. $750,000-950,000. Tasmania is Trending[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6601" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 31 - S.T. Gill, McLaren's Boxing Saloon, Ballarat, in 1854, work on paper, 18.5 x 28 cm, est. $30,000-40,000. Packs a Punch[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6602" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 43 - Michael Zavros, GQ Recommends, 2003, oil, 82 x 118 cm, est. $20,000-25,000. DH Recommends[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6603" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 44 - Peter Booth, Painting (Figure - Yellow with Blue Scarf), 2006, oil, 117 x 132.5 cm, est. $70,000-90,000. Rhapsody in a Blue Scarf[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6604" align="alignleft" width="264"] Lot 48 - George Baldessin, Pear, 1971-72, bronze, 160 x 80 x 80 cm, est. $50,000-70,000. Grow a Pear![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6605" align="alignleft" width="243"] Lot 53 - Tim Maguire, Untitled 20050405, 2005, oil, 148 x 118 cm, est. $28,000-38,000. Take Time out for Tim[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6606" align="alignleft" width="288"] Lot 57 - Guy Boyd, Adam and Eve, 1981, oil on aluminium, 111 x 91 cm, est. $6,000-9,000. The Apple of my Eye[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6607" align="alignleft" width="193"] Lot 60 - Andy Warhol, Scotch Broth, 1969, screenprint 3/250, 81 x 48 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Souper Trouper[/caption]

Dave’s Faves for the Smith & Singer Auction on 20 April 2021 is courtesy of: Banziger Hulme Fine Art

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Dave’s Faves Deutscher + Hackett 21 April 2021

Deutscher + Hackett present a wonderful selection of 80 superb lots in their fine art auction on 21 April in Melbourne. In the international section, you'll find international greats like Italian Lucio Fontana, British Indian Anish Kapoor and American Alex Katz, whose works have hardly ever appeared in the Australian auction room.

In the Australian offering, it is an iconic Arthur Streeton Venice scene that will command the most attention: a grand view of the Grand Canal, in the massive scale of 92 x 168.5 cm, created in the artist's honeymoon year of 1908 and exhibited recently in pride of place in the Streeton show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Expectations are $1.5 million to $2 million.

Other star lots would be the three Jeffrey Smarts at three different price points, a superb choice of John Olsen mixed media and paintings, two Cressida Campbell woodblock prints and atmospheric works by Clarice Beckett who is having her "Present Moment" exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Go and see the preview in person if you can:

in Sydney from 8 to 11 April at  the D+H premises in 16 Goodhope Street, Paddington

in Melbourne from 15 to 20 April at the D+H premises in 105 Commercial Road, South Yarra

The auction is held on Wednesday, 21 April, in South Yarra.

You can view all works online on the Deutscher + Hackett website.

For pre-sale advice and analysis, contact us on info@bhfineart.com or speak to David Hulme on 0466 313 095. We would be delighted to represent your interests before, during and after the auction.

And here are our 20 Dave's Faves:

[caption id="attachment_6562" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 1 - Carol Jerrems, Mozart Street, 1975, photograph, 13.5 x 20 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. Jerrems performs her Symphony[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6563" align="alignleft" width="209"] Lot 10 - Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale Taglio, 1968, porcelain, 42.5 x 26 x 2.5 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. Cast by Rosenthal, slashed by Hand by the Artist [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6564" align="alignleft" width="196"] Lot 11 - Cressida Campbell, Japanese Print and Clivias, 2013, unique woodblock print, 145.5 x 94.5 cm, est. $80,000-120,000. A Print of a Print and worth a Mint[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6565" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 18 - Jeffrey Smart, Diversion for Siena, 2002-03, oil, 85 x 115 cm, est. $500,000-700,000. Who Needs to Go Straight Anyway?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6566" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 19 - John Olsen, Wetlands, 2000, oil, 200 x 250 cm, est. 300,000-400,000. Wet or Dry, Olsen's Always a Good Buy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6567" align="alignleft" width="259"] Lot 20 - Bertram Mackennal, Circe, c1902-04, bronze, 57 cm height, est. $160,000-200,000. Bertie's Best[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6568" align="alignleft" width="257"] Lot 22 - Hans Heysen, Morning Break, 1922, watercolour, 66 x 56 cm, est. $80,000-120,000. Trees Always Please[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6569" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 24 - Clarice Beckett, Bathing Boxes, Beaumaris, c1932, oil, 45 x 65.5 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. The "B's" Knees[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6570" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 25 - Clarice Beckett, View Across the Yarra, c1931, oil, 34.5 x 45.5 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Beckett Beckons[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6571" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 28 - William Dobell, Helen Blaxland and Tonia, 1941, oil, 44.5 x 53.5 cm, est. $120,000-180,000. Little Miss in Domestic Bliss[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6572" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 30 - John Perceval, The Hull, Williamstown, 1956, oil, 61 x 71 cm, est. $240,000-280,000. Perceval at his Peak[/caption]

      [caption id="attachment_6573" align="alignleft" width="204"] Lot 35 - Arthur Loureiro, Young Companions, 1884, oil, 76 x 51 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Considerably Rarer than Hen's Teeth[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6574" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 37 - Julian Rossi Ashton, Man O'War Steps, 1899, oil, 29 x 39.5 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. Will be a Battle to Win this Little Gem[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6575" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 39 - David Davies, Dieppe Harbour, oil, 35.5 x 41.5 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. No, it's not a Monet[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6576" align="alignleft" width="253"] Lot 42 - Arthur Streeton, Interior, Combe Bank, Sevenoaks, c1913, oil, 76 x 63.5 cm, est. $45,000-65,000. I expect more than just Chandelier Bids here[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6577" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 44 - Arthur Streeton, Gordale Scar (Sunny), 1910, oil, 50.5 x 76 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Breaking News: Early British Streeton Paintings Are Very Undervalued[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6578" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 45 - Tim Storrier, The Lament of the Stream, 2000, polymer paint, 107.5 x 244.5 cm, est. $120,000-160,000. The Best in Live Stream Technology[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6579" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 47 - John Olsen, Dry Riverbeds, 2005, oil, 106 x 122 cm, est. $70,000-90,000. No Drought About It[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6580" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 53 - Lin Onus, Marri Maliri Garkman (Frogs at Dusk), 1996, gouache, 27 x 63 cm, est. $18,000-25,000. Another Wonderful Small Onus ... Bonus[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6581" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 58 - Ethel Spowers, Durham Cathedral, c1924, woodcut, 16.3 x 19.8 cm, est. $8,000-12,000. No "Mass" Prints Here[/caption]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Find out more about our Art Brokerage Service.

Dave’s Faves Deutscher + Hackett 21 April 2021 was originally seen on: Banziger Hulme Fine Art Pty Ltd

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Dave’s Faves for Menzies 31 March 2021

It always feels like a long time between auctions from the end of the year until March when the important sales of museum quality fine art begin again.

The wait has been worth it, with auction houses like Menzies collecting an exciting array of beautiful paintings, watercolours, prints and sculpture by some of Australia's greatest - Brett Whiteley, Sidney Nolan, Arthur Streeton, Lin Onus, John Perceval, Arthur Boyd and Ben Quilty, and the occasional international superstar Andy Warhol or Fernand Leger.

David has chosen 20 favourites from the Menzies sale scheduled for 31 March  in Sydney, and you can enjoy them here below.

The Melbourne preview is held from 17 to 21 March at 1 Darling Street, South Yarra.

In Sydney, you can go and view from 25 to 30 March at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington.

For due diligence and pre-purchase reports on artworks of interest, contact us on info@bhfineart.com or phone David on 0466 313 095. We would be delighted to assist you in starting or expanding your museum-quality art collection.

You can also view the 127 offerings online on the Menzies website.

And famous Dave's Faves for the Menzies sale on 31 March are:

[caption id="attachment_6531" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 1 - Sidney Nolan, Kelly and Landscape, c1962, oil, 51.5 x 62 cm, est. $30,000-40,000. Embrace the Iconic[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6532" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 3 - John Coburn, Goodby Little Yellow Bird, 1975, polymer paint, 59.5 x 75 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Mellow Yellow[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6533" align="alignleft" width="249"] Lot 11 - Will Ashton, Pont Neuf, oil, 44 x 37 cm, est. $8,000-12,000. Take a Punt![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6534" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 13 - David Keeling,Leaving Fortescue Bay, 2007, oil, 122 x 122 cm, est. $7,000-10,000. Tree Change Anyone?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6535" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 17 - Lin Onus, Bulla Goonya (Two Fish), polymer paint, 27 x 63 cm, est. $22,000-28,000. Lin Rocks[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6536" align="alignleft" width="237"] Lot 19 - Howard Arkley, Tulips - Still Life, 1997, polymer paint, 70 x 55.5 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Tulip Fever[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6537" align="alignleft" width="251"] Lot 20 - Ben Quilty, Beast 2, 2005, oil, 120 x 100 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Buy, Buy, Budgie - or Bye Bye Budgie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6550" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 21 - Sidney Nolan, Glacier, Antarctica, 1964, oil, 122 x 122 cm, est. $60,000-80,000. Don't be glacial with your bidding[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6538" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 22 - John Perceval, Beach Studio 1961, oil, 59.5 x 69.5 cm, est. $30,000-40,000. Time to Go Potty for Perceval[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6539" align="alignleft" width="132"] Lot 24 - Andy Warhol, Kiku 1983, set of 3 screenprints, 49.8 x 66 cm each, est. $45,000-55,000. Warhol for the Soul[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6540" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 30 - Jeffrey Smart, Bus by the Tiber, 1977-78, oil, 66 x 84 cm, est. $700,000-900,000. Don't Miss this Bus[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6541" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 34 - Arthur Boyd, Wimmera Landscape with Fire and White Heron, c1985, oil, 89 x 119.5 cm, est. $80,000-120,000. Fire's me up this one[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6542" align="alignleft" width="225"] Lot 35 - Brett Whiteley, Lavender Bay 2, 1973, mixed media, 74.5 x 55.5 cm, est. $50,000-70,000. Need a Boost to your Museum Quality Art Collection?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6543" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 36 - John Perceval, Tangled Arch in the Deserted Garden, Highgate 1963, oil, 69.5 x 85 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Lose yourself in Perceval Land[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6544" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 39 - Arthur Streeton, The Oak Lane, 1909, oil, 61.5 x 74.5 cm, est. $90,000-120,000. A Streeton Meeting[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6545" align="alignleft" width="221"] Lot 45 - John Olsen, Giraffes and Mt Kenya 1980, pencil & watercolour, 103 x 76 cm, est. $45,000-55,000. Animal Magic[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6546" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 56 - William Robinson, Bright Day, Tallanbanna, 2000, pastel, 54.5 x 74.5 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Pastel Paradise[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6547" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 62 - Michael Zavros, Lace-ups, 2001, oil, 50 x 50 cm, est. $8,000-12,000. Art with Polish[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6548" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 75 - Jacqueline Hick, A Sheltered Place, oil, 63.5 x 81.5 cm, est. $3,000-5,000. One to Crow About[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6549" align="alignleft" width="227"] Lot 125 - Brett Whiteley, Undressing, 1973, lithograph, 75 x 55 m, est. $6,000-8,000. A Prince of Prints[/caption]

The following article Dave’s Faves for Menzies 31 March 2021 was originally seen on: David Hulme's art blog

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The Australian Art Auction Market in 2020: Triumph Over Adversity

This year could have been a disastrous year for the visual arts market, given a pandemic leading to stay at home orders, lock-downs and closed borders, and auction houses specifically mentioned by the Prime Minister as one of the businesses that could no longer be open for personal visits. But art does matter it seems: artists’ sell-out shows in commercial galleries and exceptional as well as record results in fine art auctions made headlines.

The majority of auctioneers were already set up for online bidding, most through the Invaluable platform. However the high fees of Invaluable of 5% on top of the hammer price meant that expensive artworks would face the biggest challenges, plus they could not be viewed in person.

But collectors have adapted surprisingly well to the changed conditions with auction houses upping the phone bidding numbers (a trend going on for several years already), and offering buyer’s parity to offset the Invaluable fees.

Now, as Deutscher + Hackett have proven with their sales in lock-down Melbourne, you do not need those bidders in the room at all. In the international arena, Sotheby’s and Christies went one step further by setting up live TV studios and simultaneous bidding from these studios in their major hubs in New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong.

The high level of confidence in the Australian art market may have been driven to some extent by a more uncertain share market and also by collectors spending a lot of time at home, as they were not able to holiday overseas. Art as therapy seems to have worked.

Once all the auction results for 2020 are tallied up by AASD, a total turnover of $107 million looks likely; it currently sits at $105,932,000. In 2019, total fine art auction results were just above $111 million.

An interesting new addition to auction sales this year has been the single artwork auction. This format has clearly caught the imagination of auction houses and collectors alike, but, as principal Damian Hackett said to us “It has to be the right picture”. They proved it on June 3rd, selling Del Kathryn Barton’s portrait of Hugo Weaving (and winner of the 2013 Archibald Prize) for $220,000 (est. $120,000-160,000).

In October, Smith & Singer sold Brett Whiteley’s The Arrival – A Glimpse in the Botanical Gardens, 1984, owned by long-time art dealer Denis Savill for $1.325 million (est. $900,000-1.2 million).

Menzies capped off the year with a new all-time Australian art auction record in this new format, selling Brett Whiteley’s Henri’s Armchair, for $5 million hp (6.136 million IBP), beating the artist’s record for My Armchair, of $ 3.2 million, also sold by Menzies in 2013.

[caption id="attachment_6517" align="alignleft" width="300"] Brett Whiteley's "Henri's Armchair" achieved the highest price for an Australian painting sold at auction in November 2020, selling for $6,136 million IBP through Menzies Auctioneers[/caption]

Not only did 2020 see the highest price for an Australian painting sold at auction, there were a important number of individual artist’s records set. Deutscher + Hackett achieved a very impressive $2.822 million IPB for Fred Williams’ Hummock in Landscape, 1967, eclipsing You Yangs Landscape 1, 1963, sold for $2.287 million by Bonhams in 2013.

In the same auction in July, they also achieved a record price for a work by Hans Heysen: A Summer’s Day, c1907, sold for $601,364 IBP, overtaking Bonhams’ sale in 2019 of The Farmyard, Frosty Morning, 1926 (sold for $341,600 IBP).

For colonial artist George French Angas, it was a much longer time between records: Going back to May 2003, Christies sold Twelve Studies for $293,750 IBP. Now just at the end of November, Bonhams achieved $418,200 IBP for Eaglehawk Gully, Bendigo, 1851, an early evocative image of the goldfields that went viral (at the time) in the form of a lithograph.

Smith & Singer achieved the highest ever price for a work by ever popular Elioth Gruner with the sale of A Land of Wide Horizons, Michelago, 1922, which sold for $386,591 IBP in their September sale, beating On the Sands, 1920 (sold at Menzies in April 2018 for $270,000 IBP).

The most unexpected record price was for a horse race painting by Robert Dickerson: Early Morning, Randwick, 1994, sold at Menzies for $282,273 IBP (est. $50,000-70,000) in November, surpassing Sotheby’s previous record of $183,000 IBP for a much earlier painting from 1954, The Bottle.

Important new highs were also achieved on the contemporary side, with Ben Quilty’s Paul’s Falcon, 2008, selling for $171,818 IBP at Deutscher + Hackett (previous high One Big One, $97,600 IBP, also with D+H in ).

Likewise for Aboriginal art, a set of 12 photographs by Michael Cook titled Civilised from 2012, sold for $108,000 with Deutscher + Hackett (previous high $85,400 in June 2018 also with D+H).

Significant records were set for three female artists: Yvonne Audette’s Cantata No. 14, 1963-64, with its strong and seductive colour palette achieved $294,545 at Deutscher + Hackett, or almost three times her previous record of $103,700 from 2018 for another Cantata (No. 16) set by Sotheby’s, setting a significant benchmark for one of Australia’s most important abstract painters.

Iso Rae’s 2017 record price of $109,800 for Les Acheteuses (The Buyers), c1913, was also almost tripled by Deutscher + Hackett, when they offered Young Girl, Etaples, c1892 in July this year. It settled on a new record price of $270,000.

Alison Rehfisch’s art has also benefitted from the focus on female artists: her long standing highest price from April 1989 of $26,000 for Harbour Scene with Fishing Boats at Leonard Joel only just got truly thrashed with the sale of Cagnes, c1937, for $103,700, wildly surpassing its estimates of $2,000-4,000 at Bonhams in October.

The top sales of the year comprise the artists we would expect, among them Brett Whiteley (in top spot and with an all-time Australian auction record), Russell Drysdale, Fred Williams and Jeffrey Smart.

The second place in 2020 goes to Russell Drysdale’s Going to the Pictures, 1941, which achieved $2.945 million at Deutscher + Hackett in November. D+H also set third and fourth spots with not one, but two paintings by the late and great Fred Williams, the aforementioned Hummock in Landscape in third and the fourth Hillside at Lysterfield II 1967, selling for $$2.209 million in November.

There were some very encouraging signs for the Aboriginal art market in 2020 outside Australia, with the exhibition of American comedian Steve Martin’s collection with mega-dealer Larry Gagosian in New York in collaboration with Melbourne art dealer D’Lan Davidson. And just last week news broke that Davidson brokered the sale of a major Aboriginal art collection owned by a North American collector to a Swiss connoisseur for several million dollars.

This international news has complemented the overall auction sales of Aboriginal art in Australia: this year, they have doubled compared to 2018 and 2019, from $6.69 million and $6.19 million respectively to $12.35 million – and this excludes all sales of Aboriginal art outside Australia. For example, Sotheby’s online sale in New York just last week generated US$1.035 million (about AU$1.393 million), a collaboration with Australian art dealer and consultant Tim Klingender.

Traditionally low clearance rates for Aboriginal art have started to improve, as more collectors are attracted back into this market. Deutscher + Hackett took advantage of these more favourable conditions just prior to Covid disruptions, with a very successful stand-alone Aboriginal art sale in mid-March, achieving $2.36 million IBP, and have continued with a number of online only sales of Aboriginal art.

Adrian Newstead continued his own Aboriginal art auction sales under the branding of Coo-ee Art Market Place. Newstead and his business partner’s Mirri Leven’s second 2020 sale in October was particularly successful, realising $1.836 million IBP.

Most of the votes (auction sales results recorded) are now counted, and sit at just under $106 million, with up to one million dollars to add. By auction house, Deutscher + Hackett are in first place with $26.28 million of sales, followed by Menzies with $22.6 million, Smith & Singer with  $21.58 million, Bonhams with $7.67 million, Leonard Joel with $7.13 million, and $20.665 million for all other auction houses who submit results to AASD.

Article originally published in Australian Art Sales Digest

The Australian Art Auction Market in 2020: Triumph Over Adversity is available on: Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants

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Australian Art Market History Made As Menzies Sell Brett Whiteley Painting for New Auction Record Price

On 26 November 2020 in Sydney, Menzies offered the painting with the highest auction estimates for an Australian work ever: $5 million to $7 million. Brett Whiteley’s Henri’s Armchair, 1974-75, was presented in a stand-alone black tie event. It was attended by vendor Elizabeth Evatt and family members with front row seats and film crews and press galore, a rarity nowadays in the auction room, as well as a limited number of collectors and industry insiders.

Selling one painting at auction, even a painting of this stature, is always a risk, as a failure to sell would cast judgment on the entire art market and its strength. The monumental painting however lived up to its promise: Bidding started with Menzies head of art and auctioneer Justin Turner with a $4.5 million absentee bid, followed by bid increments of $100,000 from the three phone bidders. The room watched and waited in anticipation, until Turner brought down his gavel at the magic $ 5 million mark.

The buyer was only revealed as a collector from Sydney’s lower North Shore, and they will pay a total of $6.136 million including buyer’s premium for the most expensive painting ever purchased at auction in Australia. A spectacular result achieved in the midst of a global pandemic testing the art market to its extremes, with the art market coming out the winner.

The utterly unpredictably 2020 has already produced two of the highest auction prices ever in Australia: Deutscher + Hackett sold Fred Williams’ Hummock in Landscape, 1967, for $2.82 million in July, and most recently Russell Drysdale’s Going to the Pictures, 1941, for $2.945 million.

Henri’s Armchair is monumental in size at 195 x 302 cm and draws us into the artist’s lounge in his Lavender Bay home with a view leading out to an ultramarine Sydney Harbour. The title references the famous dictum of Henri Matisse, one of Whiteley’s most admired artists, that art could be “for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue”.

The painting was acquired directly from Brett Whiteley and had been held since then in the collection of Clive Evatt QC since 1975, perhaps fulfilling exactly the hope expressed by Henri Matisse.

Any of the leading art auctioneers in Australia will attest it is no mean feat finding and assessing the value of an Australian painting above the million dollar threshold. Only 23 Australian artists and 2 New Zealanders (Colin McCahon and Charles Frederick Goldie) have cleared this milestone, and includes just two women, Ethel Carrick Fox and Emily Kngwarreye. (1)

Even more extraordinary are auction results above $2 million or $3 million, given the Australian art auction market turns over around $110 million generally per year, and the New Zealand market is worth around NZ$30 million.

It’s therefore a long time between drinks, and in this instance $5 million plus paintings appearing on the auction market. The biggest result for a painting sold at auction in Australia prior to last night’s result was for Sidney Nolan’s First Class Marksman, 1946, sold at Menzies in March 2010 for $5.4 million incl. BP (estimates $3 million to $5 million).

Brett Whiteley now holds a total of four paintings in the top ten: My Armchair, 1976, sold for just under $4 million IBP in October 2013 at Menzies, The Olgas for Ernest Giles, 1985, was sold by Deutscher-Menzies in June 2007 for $3.48 million IBP, and Opera House, sold for $2.88 million IBP with Sotheby’s in May 2007. The other artists making the top ten are Sidney Nolan, John Brack, Russell Drysdale and Fred Williams.

(1) The full list of “million dollar” Australian artists includes:

Howard Arkley; Charles Blackman; Arthur Boyd; John Brack; Rupert Bunny; William Dobell; Russell Drysdale; Ian Fairweather; Emanuel Phillips Fox; Ethel Carrick Fox; John Glover; Emily Kngwarreye; Frederick McCubbin; Sidney Nolan; John Olsen; John Russell; Jeffrey Smart; Arthur Streeton; Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri; Albert Tucker; Eugene von Guerard; Brett Whiteley, and Fred Williams.

Article Exclusive to Australian Art Sales Digest

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“Dumb” thieves steal Singo’s Boyd Artwork

The Australian, 24 November 2020, by David Murray

Thieves have stolen an Arthur Boyd painting worth $120,000 from adman John Singleton's home on the NSW Central Coast, but art auctioneers say they would have been off taking the TV.

.... David Hulme, an art valuer from Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants, said the painting lost its value the moment it was stolen.

"I almost feel like they've stolen it by mistake", Mr Hulme told The Australian. "It won't have any real value to them - they can't offload it and it becomes a purely decorative object.

"It's lost its value because the can't onsell it. They can just hang it on their wall." Mr Hulme said the stolen artwork was "very distinctive", its long and narrow shape unusual for a Boyd painting.

He had never encountered artwork being stolen on demand in Australia, and unfortunately for the thieves, they would "set off red flags everywhere" if they attempted to cash in.

"The market here is very small, it's not like international art,", Mr Hulme said. "Everybody knows everybody and as soon as an auction house sees something, they would make inquiries as to its provenance."...

"The would get quite suspicious quite quickly. I would, as a valuer. We have a nose for this kind of thing, we can sense if there's something wrong".....

Deutscher and Hackett fine art auction house sold a much smaller Lovers in a Boat painting two weeks ago.

"It's a particularly dumb thing to do for someone to steal a painting,  because they're so well recorded and so difficult to sell", executive director Damian Hackett said.

"Really, they should have gone for the TV."

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Menzies Auction 19 November 2020

This time last year, in 2019, according to Australian Art Sales Digest, $71 million dollars worth of art were sold at auction in Australia. To date, it is $43 million.

However, in something of a stupendous comeback from the difficulties of lockdowns and amidst great success in auction sales, the high estimates of the offerings among the last fine art auctions of the year add up to another $46 million dollars in art to be sold before the end of 2020.

Whilst there has been a dearth of million dollar plus paintings sales, there are two paintings with record potential appearing in the next two weeks. One is Deutscher + Hackett's Russell Drysdale "Going to the Pictures" on 11 November with expectations of $2.5 million to $3.5 million.

The other is a Brett Whiteley, offered with Menzies in stand-alone auction on 26 November, a week after their regular summer sale of 162 lots on 19 November.

The highest sale price for a painting sold at auction in Australia is currently held by Sidney Nolan's "First Class Marksman" sold by Menzies for $5.4 million in 2010. Understandably, "Henri's Armchair" is causing much excitement with its $5 million to $7 million estimates and speculation of a new highest ever auction result achieved on our shores.

Meanwhile, there is an exceptional and varied art offering in the last of the major auctions with Menzies' final sale of the year scheduled on 19 November in Sydney, and at every price point.

This includes Tom Roberts' important oil on panel of Milson's Point from 1888 estimated at $500,000-700,000 and traditional works by Will Ashton, Penleigh Boyd, Rupert Bunny, Arthur Streeton, Bessie Davidson and Janet Cumbrae-Stewart, and a good selection of mid to late 20th century works by Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley, Jeffrey Smart and Emily Kngwarreye.

Contemporaries include a great choice, among them a number of Noel McKenna's quirky works in various media, Ben Quilty, Michael Zavros, Anne Zahalka and Guan Wei.

You can view all artworks in Melbourne from 5 to 8 November at the Menzies Gallery in 1 Darling Street, South Yarra.

In Sydney, you can view the offering from 12 to 18 November at the Menzies premises at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington.

The auction takes place on 19 November 2020, 6.30 pm at 12 Todman Avenue.

The entire auction catalogue can also be viewed at the Menzies website.

For astute pre-purchase advice and in-depth due diligence reports for any lots in the last of the major 2020 auctions, contact us on 0466 313 095 or email info@bhfineart.com. We would be delighted to assist you also in securing that special artwork on the night with experienced bidding.

Dave's Faves for the Menzies auction on 19 November are:

[caption id="attachment_6466" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 2 - Will Ashton, Ketch in Sydney Harbour, 47.5 x 65 cm, est. $5,000-8,000. Ketch Me If You Can[/caption]

  [caption id="attachment_6467" align="alignnone" width="300"] Lot 8 - Arthur Boyd, Irrigation Lake, Wimmera 1950, 21.5 x 34.5 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. I went straight to this one ... as the crow flies[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6468" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 14 - Alexander McKenzie, The Topiarist, 2006, 122 x 122 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Escape to the Country[/caption]

    [caption id="attachment_6469" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 18 - Tim Storrier, The Night Blaze, 2009, 61.5 x 122.5 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Starry Starry Night[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6470" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 28 - Tom Roberts, North Shore (Study for An Autumn Morning, Milson's Point, Sydney), 1888, 26 x 34.5 cm, est. $500,000-700,000. Surely will leave a Lasting Impression[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6471" align="alignleft" width="205"] Lot 29 - Fred Williams, Gum Leaves in Landscape III, 1969, 63.5 x 43.5 cm, est. $180,000-240,000. The Finest Of Lines[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6472" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 31 - William Robinson, The Sacred Rock, Carnarvon, 2006, 122 x 183 cm, est. $250,000-350,000. Bill Rocks My World[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6473" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 32 - Jeffrey Smart, The Steps, Palma 1965, 63.5 x 79 cm, est. $500,000-600,000. Time To Step Up[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6474" align="alignleft" width="214"] Lot 38 - Del Kathryn Barton, Untitled Girl 2005, 120 x 86 cm, est. $55,000-75,000. You Might Want To Tweet This[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6475" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 39 - The Billboards II, 1969-70, 60 x 80 cm, est. $250,000-350,000. The Eyes Have It[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6476" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 43 - Tim Storrier, Evening Blaze, 106.5 x 198 cm, est. $80,000-100,000. Stoked by Storrier[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6477" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 51 - John Coburn, Perfumed Garden 1976, 97 x 195 cm, est $50,000-70,000. Time to Smell the Roses[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6478" align="alignleft" width="262"] Lot 52 - Michael Johnson, Celtic Spell, 2005, 243.5 x 214 cm, est. $40,000-50,000. Magic Johnson Casts His Spell[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6479" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 67 - Anne Zahalka, Cole Classic II - The Second Wave, 2000, 115 x 145 cm, est. $7,500-9,500. Our Kind of Blue Wave[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6480" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 71 - David Moore, Migrants Arriving in Sydney, 1966, 68 x 98 cm, est. $14,000-18,000. Moore Migrants Please[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6481" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 81 - Arthur Streeton, Morning Mist on the Thames 1904, 37 x 54 cm, est. $12,000-18,000. Buy now or see at the now open "Streeton" at the AGNSW[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6482" align="alignleft" width="253"] Lot 84 - Bessie Davidson, Still Life with Books and Candlestick, 1959, 70 x 60 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Bessie at her Best[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6483" align="alignleft" width="233"] Lot 96 - Emily Kngwarreye, Wild Potato, 1995, 120 x 91 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. I Dig This Potato[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6484" align="alignleft" width="220"] Lot 107 - Tony Tuckson, Untitled (Portrait of a Seated Woman), c1955, 50 x 37 cm, est. $9,000-12,000. I am Invincible, I Am Woman [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6485" align="alignleft" width="224"] Lot 116 - Jan Nelson, Walking in Tall Grass (Charlotte #2), 2004, 92 x 69 cm, est. $9,000-12,000. Very Happy, Jan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6486" align="alignleft" width="277"] Lot 125 - Noel McKenna, Sleeping Man, 2000, 20 cm high, est. $1,500-2,000. Somewhere for the Moonshine[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6487" align="alignleft" width="298"] Lot 129 - Noel McKenna, Big Merino, Goulburn, NSW, Clear Day, 2003, 38.5 x 38.5 cm, est. $1,800-2,600. Where's Woolly?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6488" align="alignleft" width="137"] Lot 152 - Lenton Parr, Skyros, 2001, 91 cm high, est. $6,500-8,500. Parr for the Course[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6489" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 153 - Pablo Picasso, Déménagement, ou Charrette Révolutionnaire (from Series 347), 1968, 28.1 x 38.8 cm, est. $8,000-12,000. Pick up a Picasso[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6490" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 159 - Brett Whiteley, Woman under the Shower, 1976, 40 x 48.5 cm, est. $6,000-8,000. Power Shower[/caption]

The blog post Menzies Auction 19 November 2020 is courtesy of: Banziger Hulme Fine Art Valuations

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Smith and Singer Auction 18 November 2020

It has been an extraordinary year for the art market. Commercial art galleries have reported very good sales and even sell-out exhibitions. The auction room has been equally blessed by very strong results.

This has culminated in perhaps the best end-of-year art sales in many years. Confidence in the market from both buyers and sellers is very strong. Smith & Singer's Sydney auction is offering a magic selection of Australian masters in their 74 lots, including Clarice Beckett, Margaret Preston, Ethel Carrick, John Perceval, Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Frederick McCubbin, Rupert Bunny - and many more great artworks to whet the appetite.

In Melbourne, the artworks can be viewed from 5 to 8 November at the Smith & Singer premises on 14-16 Collins Street.

The Sydney viewing is on from 11 to 18 November at 30 Queen Street Woollahra, and the auction is held on 18 November, 6.30 pm, at the NCJW Hall at 111 Queen Street, Woollahra.

You can peruse the entire Smith & Singer catalogue online on their website.

We will be viewing the works in Sydney as soon as possible, and we will attend the auction on the night. We would be delighted to assist you with due diligence and pre-purchase advice, as well as represent you on the evening to bid.

Contact us on email info@bhfineart.com or phone 0466 313 095 for more information.

[caption id="attachment_6442" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 3 - Clarice Beckett, Sunset, Beaumaris, 30.3 x 45.5 cm, est. $30,000-40,000. "Beau" is the Word[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6443" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 4 - Margaret Preston, Rock Lilies, 1932, 45.5 x 53 cm, est. $80,000-100,000. "Leave" it to Me[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6444" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 5 - John Perceval, Boats on a Changing Tide, Mordialloc, 1968, 91.4 x 122 cm, est. $80,000-120,000. John Was Painting Great in "68"[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6445" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 6 - John Olsen, People Who Live in Victoria Street, 1960, 122 x 182.5 cm, est. $450,000-650,000. For People Who Bid[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6446" align="alignleft" width="287"] Lot 7 - Arthur Boyd, Rocks in Budgong Creek, New South Wales, 1979, 183 x 175 cm, est. $220,000-260,000. Time to Roll with the Rocks[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6447" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 8 - Fred Williams, Lysterfield Landscape, 1968, 91.6 x 107.3 cm, est. $450,000-600,000. Lean, Mean and Green[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6448" align="alignleft" width="255"] Lot 9 - Sidney Nolan, Ned Kelly: In the Bush, 1955, 61.2 x 51.3 cm, est. $550,000-750,000. Amour For Armour[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6449" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 11 - Sidney Nolan, Wimmera Landscape, 1943, 63.6 x 73.4 cm, est. $100,000-150,000. 40s Nolans Are Still Underappreciated and Undervalued[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6450" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 16 - Frederick McCubbin, Golden Light, 1913, 50.6 x 76.2 cm, est. $350,000-450,000. Stick To Your Quarry[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6451" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 18 - Ethel Carrick, Watching the Fleet from the Domain, 1913, 38.6 x 46.3 cm, est. $250,000-350,000. Those Were The Days[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6452" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 23 - Elioth Gruner, Silver Sea, Avoca, 1932, 29.5 x 35 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Capturing the Light Fantastic[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6453" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 34 - Brett Whiteley, Wategos Beach, Holiday Suite 7, 1989, 55 x 73 cm, est. $60,000-80,000. The More You Look The More You See[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6454" align="alignleft" width="240"] Lot 53 - Ray Crooke, Islanders, 152 x 122 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Have You Been Saving Up for A Ray Day?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6455" align="alignleft" width="287"] Lot 54 - Clement Meadmore, Crossover, 1972, 19.5 x 24 x 16 cm, est. $15,000-25,000. Keep Your Fingers Crossed[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6456" align="alignleft" width="233"] Lot 61 - John Olsen, Robert Mair (Thrower), Flowers, 1971, 82 cm high, est. $10,000-15,000. Throw Up Your Hands[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6457" align="alignleft" width="218"] Lot 66 - Robert Klippel, NO. 967 (1974, cast in 2009), 67.5 cm high, est. $35,000-45,000. Bronzed Aussie Beauty[/caption]

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Dave’s Faves Deutscher + Hackett 11 November 2020

The catalogue for the highly anticipated Deutscher + Hackett auction of Australian and International Fine Art titled “Twenty Classics of Australian Art” has created a lot of excitement for many art aficionados, including ourselves.

We can't wait to view the collection in person, and "Dave" had a lot of fun picking his favourite works from this auction.

Pre-publicity for the sale on 11 November 2020 has already made us aware of one of the most important paintings to ever appear on the Australian market, Russell Drysdale's "Going to the Pictures", 1941, estimated at $2.5 to $3.5 million.

The 63 artworks carry pre-sale estimates of $9.85 to $13.55 million, and include fabulous examples of art by a host of Australia's best and greatest, spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

Go and see the offerings in person if at all possible:

There is an extended preview in Sydney from 22 October to 1 November at the D+H premises at 16 Goodhope Street, Paddington.

The Melbourne preview is open by appointment from 5 to 11 November at 105 Commercial Road, South Yarra.

If you cannot view personally,  you can view online at the Deutscher + Hackett website.

The auction takes place on 11 November, 7 pm, and will be streamed online from Melbourne.

We will be viewing all artworks personally in Sydney and are available for due diligence, pre-purchase reports and representation and bidding at the auction.

Contact us for more information and assistance in buying from one of the most interesting fine art auctions in recent years.

There are 22 Dave's Faves this time round, but there could easily have been more:

[caption id="attachment_6405" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 2 - Ben Quilty, Paul's Falcon, 2008, oil, 183 x 214 cm, est. $90,000-120,000. Low in Price, High in Horsepower[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6406" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 3 - Lin Onus, Dawn at Numerili, 1993, 91 x 121.5 cm, est. $150,000-180,000. Branch Stacking with a Difference[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6407" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 4 - Howard Arkley, Eastern Suburbs Pink Home, 1991, 163 x 163 cm, est. $700,000-900,000. A Little House Music[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6408" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 8 - Fred Williams, Hillside at Lysterfield II, 1967, est. $1,500,000-2,000,000. Lysterfield of Dreams[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6409" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 9 - Eugene von Guerard, The Mountains of St Tenadio in the Naples Region, 1847, 108.5 x 146.5 cm, est. $200,000-300,000. When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie - That's Amore (with apologies to Dean Martin)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6410" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 10 - Arthur Streeton, Blue Lagoon, Fringed Round with Palaces, c1908, 54.5 x 85.5 cm, est. $400,000-600,000. What Else Would Arthur Streeton Be Doing On His Honeymoon?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6411" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 11 - Clarice Beckett, Out Walking, c1928-29, 29 x 34.5 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. The Sublime Leading the Sublime[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6412" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 12 - Russell Drysdale, Going to the Pictures, 1941, 46 x 55 cm, est. $2,500,000-3,500,000. That Ain’t Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, But It Sure Will Fly[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6413" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 16 - Yvonne Audette, Cantata No. 14, 1963-64, 120 x 184 cm (diptych), est. $150,000-200,000. You Bet, the Best Audette Yet, to be Sold at Auction[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6414" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 17 - John Olsen, Spanish Encounter 2, 1960, 182.5 x 242.5 cm (diptych), est. $350,000-450,000. Deserves Significant Inquisition[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6415" align="alignleft" width="250"] Lot 18 - Fred Williams, Upwey, 1965, 86 x 70.5 cm, est. $400,000-600,000. Up, Up and Away[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6416" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 19 - Jeffrey Smart, The Traffic Island, 2009, 82 x 104.5 cm, est. $450,000-650,000. There's Only One Direction[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6417" align="alignleft" width="286"] Lot 30 - Michael Cook, Civilised, 2012, suite of 14 inkjet prints, 160 x 140 cm each, est. $65,000-85,000 (14). I suggest You Accept These Cookies[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6418" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 36 - Hans Heysen, Primroses and Porcelain, 1925, 53 x 56.5 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Prim, Proper and Perfect[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6419" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 38 - Ethel Carrick Fox, Fish Market in Nice, c1930, 49.5 x 60 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. High Fashion Favours Fish[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6420" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 40 - Hans Heysen, Winter Sunshine, 1953, 31.5 x 38 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. Light Fever - You're The One That I Want[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6421" align="alignleft" width="278"] Lot 44 - Arthur Boyd, Shoalhaven Hillside, c1974-76, 96.5 x 89 cm, est. $80,000-100,000. Rhapsody in Blue[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6422" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 45 - Arthur Boyd, Waterhole near Canberra, c1971, 44.5 x 60 cm, est. 60,000-80,000. Drought's Over[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6423" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 46 - Sidney Nolan, Bird in Landscape, c1977-78, 91.5 x 122 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Bag this Big Bird[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6424" align="alignleft" width="242"] Lot 52 - Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Of Rare Winter Rain, 1990, 151 x 121 cm, est. $70,000-90,000. Reminder: Must Add Major Emily to Art Collection[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6425" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 58 - Brett Whiteley, A Day at Bondi, 1984, 10 etchings plus title page and collaged flag, 20 x 18 cm (image, each), est. $30,000-40,000 (12). Brett, Bondi, Buy[/caption]

  [caption id="attachment_6426" align="alignleft" width="229"] Lot 63 - Russell Drysdale, The Horsebreaker, 38 x 28.5 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. This Drysdale Won't Break the Bank[/caption]

  Dave’s Faves Deutscher + Hackett 11 November 2020 is republished from: www.bhfineart.com

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Dave’s Faves Sneak Preview Summer Auctions 2020

Art sales at auction have been extremely successful in the last several months, defying predictions. The fine art sales of Deutscher + Hackett in July, and in September at Smith & Singer, Shapiro’s, Leonard Joel and Davidson Auctions all reported total sales values of well over 100%, eclipsing their pre-sale high estimates.

So we are looking forward with great interest to the summer auction round, as there are some particularly exciting pictures being offered on the Australian market, many of which have been off-market for decades.

It will be initiated by Deutscher + Hackett’s “Extraordinary auction for extraordinary times” on 11th November in Melbourne, with a specially devoted section of “Twenty Classics of Australian Art”. A $10 to $12 million dollar offering no less.

The D+H star lot is Russell Drysdale’s “Going to the Pictures” from 1941, with estimates of $2,500,000 to $3,500,000. “This is a once-in-lifetime event. Without doubt it’s the most important Drysdale I have seen at auction”, according to art critic Christopher Heathcote. Chris Deutscher was quoted in the Australian Financial Review saying that in his 45 years in the industry “It felt like the most important consignment I have ever made in my career”.

[caption id="attachment_6383" align="alignleft" width="300"] Deutscher + Hackett: Russell Drysdale, Going to the Pictures, 1941, oil on canvas, 46 x 55.5 cm, est. $2,500,000-3,500,000[/caption]

Other superb paintings on offer are an iconic early painting of Venice by Arthur Streeton from 1908, Howard Arkley with a quintessential Australian suburban home and Fred Williams with a magnificent Lysterfield landscape.

Mid-November will be the time for Smith & Singer’s Important Australian Fine Art sale held in Sydney on 18th November. Two wonderful landscapes from the 19th and 20th centuries by Australian impressionist master Walter Withers and modern master Fred Williams are among their stand-outs. They also offer a particularly striking and early Ned Kelly picture from 1955 by Sidney Nolan estimated at $550,000-$750,000.

Menzies have scheduled their auction the day after Smith & Singer on 19th November, also in Sydney. Watch out for their very appealing Jeffrey Smart “The Billboards II”, 1969-70, and William Robinson’s magnificent “The Sacred Rocks, Carnarvon”.

My feeling is that some of the greatest art that we have seen all year will be offered in these next three end-of-year sales.

We are looking forward to finding out more about the art to be offered in all three of these premium tier auctions and bring you “Dave’s Faves” for all as soon as the catalogues are published and details are available.

[caption id="attachment_6382" align="alignleft" width="300"] Deutscher + Hackett: Howard Arkley, Eastern Suburbs Pink Home, 1991, est. $700,000-900,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6383" align="alignleft" width="300"] Deutscher + Hackett: Russell Drysdale, Going to the Pictures, 1941, oil on canvas, 46 x 55.5 cm, est. $2,500,000-3,500,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6384" align="alignleft" width="300"] Deutscher + Hackett: Fred Williams, Hillside at Lysterfield, 1967, est. $1,500,000-2,000,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6385" align="alignleft" width="300"] Deutscher + Hackett: Arthur Streeton, Blue Lagoon, Fringed round with Palaces, c1908, est. $400,000-600,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6390" align="alignleft" width="255"] Smith & Singer: Sidney Nolan, Ned Kelly: In the Bush, 1955, enamel paint on composition board, 61.2 x 51.3 cm, est. $550,000-750,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6389" align="alignleft" width="300"] Smith & Singer: Walter Withers, After the Heat of the Day, 1891, oil on canvas, 95 x 127.5 cm, est. $150,000-250,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6388" align="alignleft" width="300"] Smith & Singer: Fred Williams, Lysterfield Landscape, 1968, oil on canvas, 91.6 x 107.3 cm, est. $450,000-650,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6387" align="alignleft" width="300"] Menzies: Jeffrey Smart, The Billboards II, 1969-70, oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, est. $250,000-350,000[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6386" align="alignleft" width="300"] Menzies: William Robinson, The Sacred Rocks, Carnarvon, oil on linen, 122 x 183 cm, est. $250,000-350,000[/caption]

The following post Dave’s Faves Sneak Preview Summer Auctions 2020 was originally published to: Banziger Hulme Fine Art

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Double No Trouble at Smith & Singer

A few years ago, 30 people at a major fine art auction, like at the Smith and Singer sale on Wednesday evening, September 2, would have looked like a looming disaster. However, stand-in auctioneer, Stuart Davies, chief auctioneer of Sotheby’s International Realty, assured the audience that they were prepared for a large number of phone and internet bidders – which has become the new norm in the art auction room in 2020 – and asked for patience.

Which was indeed required: the 55 lots took close to two hours to sell, but it was worth the time for vendors and auction house alike, as the sale generated a total hammer price of $5.044 million, with 120% sold by value and 87% sold by number, and numerous paintings sold for double the price they had achieved just a few years prior.

It must have been a steep learning curve for Mr Davies auctioneering millions of dollars worth of fine art against his usual sale of high-end property, yet it was clear from the outset that he was an experienced auctioneer. Stuart Davies’ style of auctioneering differed markedly from Smith & Singer head auctioneer Martin Gallon’s affable and more melodic style, who was locked down in Victoria. The more frenetic and speedy style worked on the many phone bidders, sparking big interest and big prices on numerous pieces offered.

Among the 55 lots, Arthur Boyd was well represented with 6 paintings, from the diminutive lots 1 and 2 at just 30 x 19.5 cm to the wall challenging canvasses lots 40 and 41 measuring 259 x 305 cm and 152.5 x 366 cm respectively.

It was hard to pick between Shoalhaven River with Wading Bird and Cockatoos (lot 1) and Shoalhaven River with Flying Bird and Cockatoos (lot 2), both estimated at $30,000-40,000, but clearly the new owner could not bear to see them separated, and bought both, lot 1 for $43,000 hammer price and lot 2 for a comparable $42,000.

Usually putting a painting to auction within five years of its offering means a price reduction, but not in this climate it seems. Fred Williams’ Treefern Hillside, near Tallebudgera (lot 4) was sold by Smith & Singer in May 2018 for a hammer price of $30,000, and last night, the gouache managed a miraculous $48,000.

Speaking of miracles, Basket of Mandarins, 1965 (lot 5) went on to achieve the second highest price ever at auction for a painting by Margaret Olley, after the interior scene Yellow Room, Afternoon, 1990, sold by Sotheby’s in November 2013 for $130,000. Estimated at $40,000-50,000, the mandarins got boosted by lots of vitamin B (bidders) to an extremely healthy $105,000, while the larger, but equally nutritious, Basket of Oranges, 1964, sold in 2018 for $55,000.

A rare and historically important work on paper by Russell Drysdale looked like it might take off bidding-wise, and didn’t disappoint. Midnight Osborne, 1941 (lot 7) on hopes of $50,000-70,000 sold very well, two and half times above the low estimate, for $125,000.

Equally impressive was the same-era still life by William Dobell from 1940 (lot 8), selling for $82,000, almost tripling the low estimate of $30,000.

Although Brett Whiteley’s White Corella, 1987 (lot 12), was stripped of its Greg Norman provenance late in the piece, it found a new home at its low estimate of $600,000.

Denis Savill, who was in the room and as active as ever, would remember Arthur Boyd’s Fishing at Dusk on the Shoalhaven (lot 14), as according to the provenance, it passed through his hands on more than one occasion. The painting caught more than double its low estimate of $80,000, selling for an impressive $165,000.

No luck however for seemingly out of fashion with collectors of Lloyd Rees: his Western Landscape, 1958-61 (lot 15), sold at Christies in May 2002 for $135,000 hammer price, however this time, it could not attract bidders at what appeared to be modest estimates of $120,000-160,000.

Significantly more in favour are impressionist husband and wife team Emanuel Phillip Fox and Ethel Carrick. Emanuel’s In the South of France, ca 1911 (lot 16), offered a colourful reminiscence of holidays past, and sold at the high estimate of $65,000. Meanwhile, another double your money in two years opportunity arose with Ethel’s closer to home In Sydney Botanical Gardens (lot 17). After selling with Smith & Singer in August 2018 for $65,000 hp, it sold again last night for a blossoming $150,000.

Estimates of $50,000-70,000 on Penleigh Boyd’s Springtime, 1921 (lot 16) seemed spot-on, after Deutscher + Hackett had sold a highly comparable “Wattle” painting in November last year for $60,000 hp – or so you would think. Interest however rose to spring fever level, and these blooms sold for $160,000, making this one of the highest auction prices ever achieved for the artist.

Deutscher + Hackett sold the atmospheric The Campfire, Mount Macedon (lot 19) by Frederick McCubbin in August 2013 for $65,000 hp on hopes of $60,000-80,000. Last night, it sold for $135,000, and thus continuing the trend of many paintings selling in this market for double the prices one would normally expect.

Another painting to greatly exceed expectations (although perhaps less surprising) was Albert Namatjira’s Glen Helen Gorge, ca 1945-51 (lot 21). Arts journalist Gabriella Coslovich might reference it tongue-in-check as the “highest price for a Namatjira to sell at auction without a gum tree in it”. Carrying estimates of $38,000-45,000 and extensively exhibited and illustrated in Alison French’s authoritative publication on Namatjira Seeing the Centre, this watercolour sold for twice the high estimate at $90,000. This represents the second highest price at auction for the artist, after Finke River Mission sold in August 2016 for $100,000, also with Smith & Singer.

Unsurprisingly, Elioth Gruner’s highly atmospheric Colour Note (with Cows), 1917 (lot 23) sold for $38,000 just under the high estimate of $40,000. Highly surprising however was the new auction record of $315,000 set for Gruner with of A Land of Wide Horizons, Michelago, 1922 (lot 24), but no surprise to Denis Savill however who underbid the work. Land of Wide Horizons sold for more than three times its high estimate of $100,000, eclipsing the $220,000 for On the Sands, 1920, set by Menzies in April 2018.

A perhaps unusual occurrence for saleroom darling Del Kathryn Barton was the failure to launch of her Weird Seed, 2017 (lot 35), estimated at $180,000-220,000, and one of the few pass-ins on the night.

On the other hand, the more generally out of favour at auction William Robinson did create great interest: the large Back Creek Gorge to Coomera, 1994, (lot 39), with hopes of $250,000-350,000 did very well selling for $410,000, pushing this painting onto the 4th highest price at auction for the artist. Perhaps this will spark renewed interest in the Robinson’s major works in this environment.

Never out of favour, Arthur Boyd’s monumental Bathers, Shoalhaven Riverbank and Clouds, 1984-85 (lot 40), sold for $440,000 to a room bidder, also floating above the high estimate of $400,000, whilst his Triptych from the Australian Scapegoat, 1988 (lot 41), failed to find a buyer with a big enough wall to house the massive work.

The previous night, Bonhams had held a mini-sale online with 34 lots. The sale turn-over was a more modest $364,000, but very respective sold-by figures of 95% by value and 74% by numbers. A Margaret Olley still life Zinnias and Plums, 1985 (lot 22) was the most successful lot, selling for $60,000 on estimates of $45,000-55,000.

Article originally published in Australian Art Sales Digest

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Dave’s Faves for the Smith & Singer Art Auction on 2 Sept 2020

In the first auction of spring 2020, Smith & Singer (formerly trading as Sotheby's) offer 55 lots in their 2 September sale held live in Sydney.

It may look like a small sale by number of lots, however the pre-sale estimates of $4,219 million to $5,781 million tell the true story: most lots are packing a punch price-wise.

The cover lot is setting the tone: lot 12, Brett Whiteley's White Corella, 1987, is estimated at $600,000-800,000. This is the first time this painting is offered on the open market since its original purchase by one of Australia's most famous sports stars (see Dave's Faves to find out who exactly), so you may need your A Game to secure this one.

If you are into wildlife, there are more wonderful animals by notable Australian and international artists on offer: Olsen giraffes, Arthur Boyd cockatoos, Nolan with a Horse (with Kelly of course) and a Camel (obviously with Burke), Elioth Gruner and John Kelly cows, and last but not least a Giant Panda by Pop art giant Andy Warhol.

There is also no shortage of enchanting landscapes, like E. Phillips Fox' South of France to make you dream of travels past and hope of future ones, and beautiful nudes, Norman Lindsay marrying it with the bird theme in The Peacock Robe.

The sale is on view in Sydney from Wednesday, 26 August to 2 September at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

Online viewing is available for everyone 24/7 at the Smith & Singer website.

The auction is held on Wednesday, 2 September, 6.30 pm at the NCJWA, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra.

We will be attending the auction in person, and would be delighted to assist you with astute pre-purchase advice and due diligence prior to the auction, and represent your interests on the night. Just contact us to discuss further.

David found numerous "Dave's Faves", and here are all 20 of them:

[caption id="attachment_6346" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 3 - John Olsen. Giraffes, watercolour, 61 x 71.1 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Head and Shoulders above the Rest[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6347" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 5 - Margaret Olley, Basket of Mandarins, 1965, oil, 61 x 76 cm, est. $40,000-50,000. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6348" align="alignleft" width="258"] Lot 12 - Brett Whiteley, White Corella, 1987, oil, 106.3 x 91.1 cm, est. $600,000-800,000. Greg Norman's Former Birdie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6349" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 15 - Lloyd Rees, Western Landscape 1958-61, oil, 62 x 81 cm, est. $120,000-160,000. Pastel Coloured Paradise[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6350" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 16 - E. Phillips Fox, In the South of France, ca 1911, oil, 37.8 x 45.5 cm, est. $45,000-65,000. Parlez-vous Phillips Fox or Does Phillips Fox Speak to You?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6351" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 18 - Penleigh Boyd, Springtime, 1921, oil, 70.5 x 83.5 cm, est. $50,000-70,000. Wattle You Do?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6352" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 19 - Frederick McCubbin, The Campfire, Mount Macedon, c1908-10, oil, 25.5 x 35 cm. McCubbin's on Fire once again[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6353" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 20 - Hans Heysen, In the Ranges, watercolour, 31 x 37.5 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. In the Range of $10k-15k looking like a Very Good Buy[/caption]

  [caption id="attachment_6354" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 21 - Albert Namatjira, Glen Helen Gorge, c1945-51, watercolour, 28.8 x 39.4 cm, est. $38,000-45,000. Gorgeous Gorge[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6355" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 23 - Elioth Gruner, Colour Note (with Cows), 1917, oil, 21.5 x 23 cm, est. $30,000-40,000. The Grass should always be Gruner[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6356" align="alignleft" width="233"] Lot 29 - Norman Lindsay, The Peacock Robe, 129, watercolour, 35 x 27 cm, est. $35,000-55,000. Rhapsody in Blue[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6357" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 33 - Akio Makigawa, Untitled, 1999, stainless steel, edition 1 of 6, 48 x 100 x 48 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. Akio is the Number 1 Seed[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6358" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 37 - Tim Storrier, Evening Light 2007, synthetic polymer paint, 76.3 x 183.2 cm, est. $70,000-90,000. Feeling the Heat?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6359" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 38 - Sidney Nolan, Gympie, 1948, enamel paint, 91.5 x 122 cm, est. $120,000-160,000. Gympie ... Musta Hava[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6360" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 42 - Pablo Picasso, La fete de la patronne. Ces dames medisent de Dega, reduit a un tiers de profil, 1971, etching, edition 2/50, 36.5 x 49 cm image, est. $3,000-5,000. P...P... Pick up a Picasso...Pablo[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6361" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 43 - Andy Warhol, Giant Panda, 1983, screenprint, AP 25/30, 96 x 96 cm paper size, est. $70,000-90,000. This Panda is Pandering to my every Whim[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6362" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 49 - Albert Tucker, Image of Modern Evil, 1944, gouache and ink, 24 x 29.5 cm, est. $35,000-55,000. About a Light Year ahead of its Time[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6363" align="alignleft" width="247"] Lot 50 - Sidney Nolan, Kelly and Horse, oil on paper, 30.5 x 25.5 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. Horse Play[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6364" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 53 - Justin O'Brien, The Kiss of Judas, 1969, oil and gold leaf, 50 x 58 cm, est. $60,000-80,000. Air Kisses only please[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6365" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 55 - Yvonne Audette, Bathers No. 2, 2001, oil, 117 x 152 cm, est. $45,000-65,000. Australia's Lee Krasner[/caption]

        Dave’s Faves for the Smith & Singer Art Auction on 2 Sept 2020 was first published on: Banziger Hulme Fine Art Pty Ltd

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Dave’s Faves for the Leonard Joel John Schaeffer sale

It was a sad day for the arts in Australia when Sydney art collector and philanthropist John Schaeffer passed away at the age of 79 just a few weeks ago after being hit by a vehicle.

This planned sale of almost 500 lots at Leonard Joel spans a wide spectrum: not just art including paintings and sculpture, but also glassware, furniture, carpets and a great array of other decorative items, owned by one of Australia's great collectors. It offers us a unique insight into John Schaeffer's collecting habits, and the quality is, as one might expect, outstanding.

Dave's Faves have been selected purely from the art section of the sale, however, we would encourage you to look through the entire offering. You may just find that particular gem...

Among the surprises are three small works on paper created by Queen Victoria in the 1830s, and some of the sculptures are simply breathtaking.

The artworks and items can be viewed in person in Sydney, from Thursday, 20 August - Monday, 24 August, from 10 am to 4 pm, at Leonard Joel, 36-40 Queen Street, Woollahra.

You can view everything online at the Leonard Joel website.

The auction his held in 2 parts on Tuesday, 25 August 2020, at the Leonard Joel premises at 36-40 Queen Street, Woollahra:

Lots 1 - 254 are sold from 1 pm, and lots 300 - 517 from 6 pm, where all "Dave's Faves" are to be found.

We would be delighted to assist and advise you if you are interested in any of the lots. Contact us by phone or email.

And Dave's Faves are:

[caption id="attachment_6315" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 368 - Gustave Courbet, La dame a la mouette (the woman with the seagull), plaster, diameter 73 cm, estimate $20,000-40,000. The last artwork French Master Gustave Courbet created before he died [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6316" align="alignleft" width="204"] Lot 372 - An Italian white marble copy of the "Rondanini Medusa", mid 19th century, height 60 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Magnificent Marble Medusa[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6317" align="alignleft" width="268"] Lot 385 - Lucien (Charles Edouard) Alliot, Dancer with Ball, c1930, bronze, glass on marble base, height 30 cm incl base, est. $1,000-2,000. Catch me if you can[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6318" align="alignleft" width="285"] Lot 386 - Alfred Drury, Griselda, 1907, bronze on green marble plinth, height 38 cm, est. $3,000-4,000. No Grizzles about Griselda[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6319" align="alignleft" width="209"] Lot 390 - An Italian bronze of the Dancing Faun of Pompeii, 19th century, height 84 cm, est. $2,000-4,000. Remembering my last visit to Pompeii[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6320" align="alignleft" width="201"] Lot 395 - Cyrus Edwin Dallin, Nude sleeping in the Landscape, 1903, bronze, height 93 cm, width 79 cm, depth 85 cm, est. $30,000-50,000. The Supine meets the Sublime[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6321" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 398 - Louis-Ernest Barrias, Jeune Fille de Bou Saada, 1890, marble, bronze inlay with pearl and turquoise, height 48 cm, est. $50,000-70,000. Gold is going up[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6322" align="alignleft" width="265"] Lot 402 - William Reid Dick, Portrait bust of a young girl, 1919, bronze on stone base, height 50 cm, est. $4,000-6,000. Timeless, seamless[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6323" align="alignleft" width="254"] Lot 409 - Alfred Drury after Aime-Jules Dalou, Head of La Boulannaise, c1879, marble, onyx base, est. $100,000-150,000. Subdued Serenity[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6324" align="alignleft" width="212"] Lot 410 - Pierre Felix Masseau, L'Emprise, c1897, bronze, dark brown patina, height 80 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Exhibited AGNSW 2010[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6325" align="alignleft" width="264"] Lot 414 - Frederick Hollyer after Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, An Angel playing a flageolet, pastel over a photographic base, 72.5 x 60 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Pre-Raphaelite Delight[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6326" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 417 - Elizabeth Dickson (Bessie) Gibson, Luxembourg Gardens, oil on panel, 18.2 x 23 cm, est. $4,000-6,000. In the Gardens with Gibson[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6327" align="alignleft" width="279"] Lot 429 - HRH Queen Victoria, A Fairy visiting the Nursery, 1835, pencil and watercolour on paper, 18.5 x 16 cm, est. $5,000-7,000. Who knew Queen Victoria could paint?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6328" align="alignleft" width="269"] Lot 431 - HRH Queen Victoria, Still Life of Roses, 1849, work on paper, 23 x 18.5 cm, est. $6,000-8,000. Exquisite still life from good Queen Vicky[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6329" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 434 - Maxwell Ashby Armfield, An Epitaph for England, Tempera on gesso ground, 37.5 x 62 cm, est. $9,000-15,000. Does anyone remember Brexit?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6330" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 441 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Lover - Study for "The Blessed Damozel", 1878, work on paper, 34 x 82 cm, est. $50,000-70,000. An excellent buy for the provenance aficionado[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6331" align="alignleft" width="242"] Lot 447 - Jan Portielje, Wilt Gil Ze? (Do you want it), oil on canvas, 111 x 78 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Wilt Gil Ze? Yes I do![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6332" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 449 - William Thomas Strutt, Spring Cleaning 1892, oil on canvas, 66.5 x 102.5 cm, est. $65,000-85,000. Fine art conservation 1890s style[/caption]

Dave’s Faves for the Leonard Joel John Schaeffer sale was first seen on: Banziger Hulme Fine Art Pty Ltd

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Successful Start for Smith & Singer

Of late, there has been much discussion about the success of online art sales at lower levels of the market. However, we have been holding our breath for the most important test, at the top end of the Australian art market. Would that confidence extend to the highest echelon of art buyers prepared to spend several hundred thousands of dollars?

The first major art sale delayed until 24 June 2020 in Sydney was not just a test of the market, but also for Smith & Singer: would the change from the Sotheby’s brand to the directors’ surnames impact on their previous successful sales record?

In the event, the newly branded Smith & Singer hardly skipped a beat. Limiting their lots to 59, they had far more bidders than they could accommodate.

The first lot was a case in point: a modestly sized and very pretty in pink Arthur Boyd Evening, Shoalhaven River, 1976 (lot 1) with a slender crane in the foreground, reminiscent of the artist’s oil on copper paintings from the period, was estimated at $25,000-30,000. Bidding was swift and from multiple bidders, leaving several collectors disappointed when it sold for the very substantial hammer price of $58,000.

Richly textured forest scenes from the 1960s are some of John Perceval’s most dynamic paintings. These semi-abstract impasto compositions still seem undervalued in the current market, but buyers were ready to embrace and see more value as Flooded Creek, 1960 (lot 4) surged to a $95,000 hp, considerably above its $55,000-75,000 expectations.

The much vaunted cover lot by John Brack, Laughing Child, 1958 (lot 6) had not been seen since it was acquired by Clara Black from Australian Galleries in 1958. This “long lost” painting of the artist’s daughter Charlotte, with her big smile and straw-blonde hair tied in pigtails, caught the eye of several collectors, finally selling to Gary Singer’s phone bidder for $750,000 hp, almost doubling its low estimate of $400,000.

There were a couple of commercially difficult Charles Blackmans, Swings, 1952 (lot 7) and Double Image III, 1961 (lot 9) failed to find buyers on the night.

However, Joel Elenberg’s rare and typically sublime bronze sculpture Mask C, 1980 (lot 11) encountered no difficulties. Estimated at $120,000-160,000, it sold very successfully for $180,000 hp.

After some record breaking times for major paintings by Howard Arkley, and perhaps thus raising expectations ever higher, Stucco House, 1988 (lot 12), was another test for the Arkley market. Achieving the second highest price of the evening, it sold exactly at the low estimate of $700,000.

A wonderful study with great perspective by Jeffrey Smart gave his collectors a chance to focus their minds. Estimated at a not unreasonable $100,000-150,000, Study for Bondi Penthouse, 2002 (lot 13), was bought by Brett Ballard’s phone bidder for $160,000 hp.

Brett Whiteley’s The Owl, 1983 (lot 19) came with hopes of $30,000-40,000, and sold for a whopping $60,000 hp to one wise collector, perhaps pre-empting thoughts that the Brett Whiteley catalogue raisonné due to be published this year will lift prices for the artist’s work.

Two delightful examples of Ethel Carrick’s early and prized work on offer were both competitively bid. On the Sands, 1910 (lot 22), an atmospheric beach scene with red and white striped tents sold close to the top end of expectations for $190,000 hp. on estimates of $140,000-200,000. Meanwhile The Market, Caudebec, 1903 (lot 27) fared even better: estimated at $140,000-180,000, this much larger painting sold for $225,000 hp.

Two Frederick McCubbins were offered: the more impressionistic The Bathers, 1906 (lot 23), did sell for $360,000 hp, below its estimates of $400,000-600,000, while the more traditional landscape Winter at Nunawading, 1886 (lot 26) failed to find interest.

Important paintings by esteemed British artist Sir George Clausen rarely appear at auction in Australia. A Village Boy, 1899 (lot 24) comes with an extraordinary provenance: this ethereal portrait is dedicated to Lindsay Bernard Hall, the former director of the National Gallery of Victoria, so its current owners wanted to “almost give Australians the first right to refusal” (Geoffrey Smith as quoted in the Australian Financial Review, 17 June 2020). Estimated at $400,000-600,000, it sold on the low estimate to on Australian collector and will stay in Australia.

There is no sign that interest in paintings by Arthur Streeton – even late ones – is slowing down anytime soon. The quality as well as the demand for his work is neatly demonstrated in Bridge in New Norfolk, Tasmania (1938) (lot 25). This luminous landscape had previously sold in 1972 at Leonard Joel for $4,800 and in 2003 with Sotheby’s for $77,500 hp. Last night on estimates of $100,000-150,000, Martin Gallon’s gavel finally came down at $240,000 hp for a buyer in the room, after a prolonged battle of 6 phones and several room bidders.

The auction was held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia in Woollahra, and not in their usual location at the Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney. Prior seat booking was required due to the capacity limit of 50 attendees. In the end, they numbered in the 40s and they also proved to be active participants, making for a spirited live auction.

The auction totalled $6,621 mio. IBP, with 111% IBP sold by value and 76% sold by numbers.

Article originally published in Australian Art Sales Digest

Successful Start for Smith & Singer is courtesy of: Banziger Hulme Fine Art

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Dave’s Faves Deutscher + Hackett 15 July 2020

The first very major auction season is well and truly upon us, with many of Australia's most enthusiastic and discerning art collectors having to wait some considerable time for the main event.

A big part of this is the Deutscher + Hackett auction on 15 July in Melbourne. A healthy 129 lots include some of the most significant paintings by their respective artists to come on to the market ever.

This includes the cover lot, Fred Williams' "Hummock in Landscape" (lot 7); Tony Tuckson's "Swirly Reds and White", c1964 (lot 6) and lot 14, Hans Heysen with "A Summer's Day", c1907.

Lots 32 to 40 are dedicated to the fifth instalment of the Sherman Capsule collection, while almost half, lots 76 - 129, hail from the Peter and Renate Nahum London collection of Aboriginal art.

The artworks can be viewed in Sydney from 2 to 5 July at the D+H Gallery at 16 Goodhope Street, Paddington.

The Melbourne viewing is held from 9 to 14 July at the D+H premises at 105 Commercial Road, South Yarra.

The auction is held on Wednesday, 15 July 2020, 7 pm, at the D+H Gallery at 105 Commercial Road, South Yarra.

You can also have a look at all 129 lots on the Deutscher + Hackett website.

As always, you can count on us for due diligence on lots that you are interested in prior to the auction and bidding on the night. Contact us on phone number 0466 313 095 or email info@bhfineart.com

And here are Dave's Faves for you:

[caption id="attachment_6273" align="alignleft" width="252"] Lot 1 - Cressida Campbell, Daisies and Camellias on Indian Cloth, 1997, 61 x 52 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. Daisy chains with gains[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6274" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 6 - Tony Tuckson, Swirly Reds and White (TP54), c1964, 122 x 183 cm, est. $150,000-200,000. What's black and white and red all over?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6275" align="alignleft" width="242"] Lot 7 - Fred Williams. Hummock in Landscape, 1967, 153 x 122 cm, est. $1,4,00,000-1,800,000. Hands up for hummocks![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6276" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 10 - Eugene von Guerard, Abendlandschaft von der Insel Capri (Evening Landscape from the Island of Capri), 1846, 75 x 103.5 cm, est. $150,000-200,000. Time Travel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6277" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 12 - Emanuel Phillips Fox, A Spanish Garden, c1911, 38 x 46 cm, est. $45,000-65,000. Viva Espana![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6278" align="alignleft" width="247"] Lot 14 - Hans Heysen, A Summer's Day, c1907, 90 x 74.5 cm, est. $150,000-200,000. A Heysen Masterpiece[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6279" align="alignleft" width="235"] Lot 18 - Nora Heysen, Floral Still LIfe, 1932, 51 x 41 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Daughter Delights[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6280" align="alignleft" width="223"] Lot 23 - Brett Whiteley, Self Portrait after a Haircut at 36, 1976, 100 x 75 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. You could turn this into a Family Hairloom (sic)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6281" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 25 - William Robinson, Rain and Sunlight, Numinbah, 1996, 137 x 182.5 cm, est. $150,000-200,000. Billy boils[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6282" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 28 - Garry Shead, Annunciation, 2000, 167 x 243 cm, est. $250,000-350,000. Garry marries[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6283" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 31 - Tim Storrier, The Water Line, 1997, 102.5 x 151.5 cm, est. $28,000-35,000. Keep warm this Winter[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6284" align="alignleft" width="244"] Lot 34 - Tim Storrier, Drifting over (the Coals), 1999, 49 x 39.5 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. Rock and Coal[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6285" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 36 - Tim Storrier, The Evening Run, 2019, 30 x 50 cm, est. $20,000-25,000. These are a few of my favourite clouds[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6286" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 37 - Shane Cotton, Lookout #1, 2007, 200 x 300 cm, est. $80,000-120,000. Picking Cotton[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6287" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 43 - Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Still Life with Brown Bowl, 1999, 10 pieces, 31 cm height, est. $10,000-18,000. Don't bottle out[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6288" align="alignleft" width="289"] Lot 44 - Margaret Preston, Dahlia and Sunflower, 1933, 30.5 x 30.5 cm, est. $12,000-16,000. Perfect Preston Print[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6289" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 48 - Elioth Gruner, Pastoral Landscape, 28 x 40 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. I Wanna Be A Cowboy and You Can Be My Cowgirl (with apologies to Boys Don’t Cry)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6290" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 65 - Bill Hammond, Banana never sleeps, 1982, 25.5 x 39 cm, est. $8,000-12,000. Minus their pajamas[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6291" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 66 - Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, Figures, 1960, 20.5 x 22 cm, est. $4,000-6,000. From Bauhaus to your house[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6292" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 77 - Rover Thomas, Tributaries of the Ord River, 1991, 90.5 x 180 cm, est. $200,000-300,000. I am a Follower[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6293" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 84 - Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Merne (Everything), 1996, 122 x 213 cm, est. $150,000-200,000. And you thought you couldn't have everything[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6294" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 92 - Trevor Nickolls, Holden Boomerang Dreaming in Summer Time, 2000, 91 x 121.5 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. You can still buy a Holden but you'd better be quick[/caption]

  The blog post Dave’s Faves Deutscher + Hackett 15 July 2020 was first published on: BH Fine Art Consultants

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Dave’s Faves Menzies 9 July 2020

Menzies Auctioneers will hold their fine art sale on 9 July 2020 in Sydney, their first live auction after the suspension of public gatherings.

Personal viewing is available as is usual both in Melbourne and Sydney prior to the auction:

in Melbourne from 24 to 28 June at 1 Darling Street, South Yarra

in Sydney from 2 to 8 July at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington.

On most days, there are extended viewing hours from 11 am to 8 pm.

The auction is held on 9 July 2020, 6.30 pm, at the Menzies premises at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington.

The offering contains 102 lots and gathers some of the most sought after names in Australian an international art.

Among them is an unusual impressive Albert Namatjira from 1942, a number of Sidney Nolan works on paper including a "Kelly", an early Ethel Carrick Fox of a Sydney landscape, a choice of colourful canvasses by acclaimed indigenous painter Sally Gabori, and a delightful ceramic by the giant of 20th century art, Picasso.

Get in touch with us if you would like to use our expertise prior to purchasing and our experience with bidding on the night. You can contact us on info@bhfineart.com and 0466 313 095.

The complete Menzies catalogue is available on the Menzies website.

Have a look at Dave's Faves to see the works that caught his eye:

[caption id="attachment_6243" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 10 - Ray Crooke, Family Resting by River, 75 x 100 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. Give Peace a Chance[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6244" align="alignleft" width="212"] Lot 11 - Albert Namatjira, Quarritana 1942, 38.5 x 27.5 cm, est. $20,000-30,000. No not Quarantine... Quarritana[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6245" align="alignleft" width="242"] Lot 13 - Sidney Nolan, Kelly Stubbs 1964, 64 x 52 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. Stubbs Rubbing us up the Right Way[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6246" align="alignleft" width="226"] Lot 14 - Sally Gabori, Dibirdibi Country 2008, 121 x 91 cm, est. $7,000-10,000. Add some Colour to your Day[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6247" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 16 - Minotaure Attaquant Une Amazone, 1933, 19.4 x 26.8 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. Hand signed Picasso from the very important Vollard Suite of Etchings[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6248" align="alignleft" width="194"] Lot 17 - Pablo Picasso, Chouette aux Plumes (Feathered Owl), 1951, 28 x 21 x 16 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. A Very Wise Decision[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6249" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 19 - Ethel Carrick Fox, Stanwell Park c1913, 27 x 35 cm, est. $6,000-9,000. Early Ethel for under 10K[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6250" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 27 - Jeffrey Smart, Outside the Ministry, 1970, 80 x 90 cm, est. $400,000-600,000. The Ministry of Cool[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6251" align="alignleft" width="246"] Lot 28 - Grace Cossington Smith, Jug with Fruit in the Window, 1960, 90 x 73.5 cm, est. $300,000-400,000. Don't keep still on this one[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6252" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 31 - Lin Onus, Mandigningi, 1992, 91 x 152 cm, est. $200,000-300,000. You might shed some crocodile tears if you lose out on this one.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6253" align="alignleft" width="245"] Lot 54 - Will Ashton, Paris, 46 x 38 cm, est. $8,000-10,000. Bonjour Mesdames et Messieurs[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6254" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 56, Sidney Nolan, Greek Landscape, 1959, 51 x 61 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. Greece is the Word (with apologies to John Travolta)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6255" align="alignleft" width="268"] Lot 59 - Rosalie Gascoigne, Murrumbidgee Venus, c1973-74, 42 x 45 x 19 cm, est. $20,000-26,000. Everyone's been knitting in lockdown[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6256" align="alignleft" width="292"] Lot 67 - Julia Deville, Piglet 2009, 25 x 23 x 15 cm, est. $5,000-8,000. Don't Miss Piggy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6257" align="alignleft" width="203"] Lot 72 - Emily Kame Kangwarreye, Wildflower Dreaming, 120 x 80 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Don't dream it's over[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6258" align="alignright" width="228"] Lot 100 - Francis Bacon, Figure at a Washbasin (from Requiem pour la Fin des Temps), 1977-78, 47.4 x 36.3 cm, est. $16,000-20,000. I want my binge TV (with apologies to Dire Straits)[/caption]

Dave’s Faves Menzies 9 July 2020 was first published to: https://www.bhfineart.com