The first evening, From the Collection of Nadine Milne was a 64 lot single owner-boutique auction of contemporary New Zealand artworks in a wide range of media from the collection of Arrowtown Gallery owner Nadene Milne.
What was interesting about the Nadine Milne offering, was that only a small handful of the works on offer had been produced in the 20th century. The vast majority were produced over the last 16 years and included many of the ''bright young things" making a name for themselves in the 21st century local and national and international art scenes.
Top price achieved on the first evening went to the Nuiean born artist John Pule with his strong and bold tapa and tattoo inspired If You Leave First I Will Follow [lot 36] which sold for a hammer price of $28,000, exceeding the upper estimate by $3,000, while a classic beehive painting by Michael Hight entitled Lake Aviemore [lot 29] from 2003 sold for $14,150 just below the lower estimate of $15,000.
A photograph by Fiona Pardington, Tui [lot 2] sold for $13,000 against the upper estimate of $8000 while her brother Neil's Diadema SP, Auckland Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira #1 [lot 3] went for $8,250. Ann Noble's black and white tone poem of a novice nun's habit, White Veil of a Novice [lot 8] sold well at $7,250, against the estimate of $4,000-5,000
Heading the small selection of sculpture on offer was Korean born, but Auckland based artist, Seung Yui Oh whose popular fiberglass and two pot lacquer mouse sculpture entitled PokPo [lot 31] sold well for $14,000, just under the top estimate of $15,000.
The Tuesday night sale, Important Paintings and Contemporary Art, was a smaller auction with only 42 lots but with much bigger fish in the kettle.
Top price for the sale of $110,000 went to an early oil painting from 1975 by Central Otago based artist Graham Sydney. Entitled Slow Sign (Lot 22 ) it is now heading off to London. A beautiful Colin McCahon painting entitled Landscape Titirangi (Lot 18 ) from 1956 sold for $100,000, although the hammer price for both the above was below the low estimate.
Another Colin McCahon, Waterfall, (Lot 12 ) a small but well resolved painting from the mid 1960's sold for $55,000, which was $5,000 below the low estimate and was made subject to the vendor approval. Originally these 30 x 30 mm small square format paintings produced by McCahon before New Zealand converted to decimal currency in 1967, sold for 25 guineas each through Barry Lett Galleries in Auckland.
Two other larger paintings by Colin McCahon for which Mossgreen-Webb's had high expectations both sold, but below the low estimate and therefore also subject to the vendor's approval. Jump E23 (Lot 24 ) went for $145,000 while the bidding stopped for Landscape Theme and Variation (H]) (Lot 26 ) at $155,000, $20,000 and $10,000 respectively, below the low estimate.
A serious bidding battle took place between the floor and phones when a well formed Canterbury Landscape (Landscape Over Mt Torlesse) (Lot 21 ) by Leo Bensemann was presented for sale.
The bidding started at $15,000 and quickly rose to $36,000 before being knocked down to a phone bidder. The 1980 painting carried a presale estimate of between $18,000-$25,000
Another key work offered in this sale was a fiery red painting, Fire on Earth (Lot 30 ) by Pat Hanly, produced while the artist was working in London and the world was living under the threat of nuclear extinction. This key painting in the ouvre of one our most colourful life-long anti-nuclear protesters sold for only $45,000 against a guide of $50,000-$70,000. Fire on Earth was a favourite painting of the artist and had originally been exhibited at Gallery One in London as well as in early Hanly exhibitions upon his return to New Zealand.
In an auction offering paintings, photographs and prints a large ceramic pot / sculpture.by the late Roy Cowan of Wellington was an impressive outside piece of work that attracted spirited bidding. Entitled Lantern Sculpture (Lot 5 ) it sold for an artist's record for a ceramic item for $13,500 to a prominent Auckland dealer in the room, well above the estimate of $6,000-10,000.
A classic image of Tony Fomison and Philip Clairmont drinking sherry and sharing a joint (Lot 6 ) from the mid 1970's sold very well for $7,000. The photograph was vintage analogue print from the recently deceased woman photographer Marti Friedlander.
The photograph was from a very important series she had taken way back when she was documenting New Zealand artists, their work and studios for the landmark 1991 production Pacific Parallels: Artists and the Landscape in New Zealand by C. Eldredge and Jim and Mary Barr.
Including post auction sales, the two day event raised around $1.1 million including buyer's premium, with percentages of numbers and value sold not yet available.
All prices quoted are hammer and expressed in $NZ.
