For the first own standalone 'Select' presentation, the Webb’s specialist art team has curated strong examples of work by significant New Zealand artists, including The K’ Road Collection, which features the dazzling Peter Stichbury’s Julia Fischer, NDE (lot 92, above).
For the first own standalone Select presentation, the Webb’s specialist art team has curated strong examples of work by significant New Zealand artists, including several photographs from the late Ans Westra. Westra’s passing in March this year saw Aotearoa New Zealand lose one of its most revered pioneers of documentary photography. While at times controversial, her frank and striking images captured a country of-its-time, and are widely considered an important part of both the photographic and cultural history of New Zealand. Within the Select catalogue are ten works exemplifying the unposed and spontaneous style she is known for, including images from both 1960s rural New Zealand (lot 55) and 1980s New York (lot 60).
Showcasing another side to New Zealand art history is the The K’ Road Collection. Comprising 26 works, this single-owner collection is presented in ode to the tenacious and vital art community of Auckland’s Karangahape Road – celebrating the dynamic nature of the urban environment while giving a nostalgic nod to days (and exhibitions) gone by. Standouts include the probing humour of Michael Parekowhai’s Kapa Haka (Lot 87 ), the flurried burnish of Ralph Hotere’s Towards Aramoana (Lot 95 ), and the wide-eyed unsettling perfection of Peter Stichbury’s Julia Fischer, NDE (Lot 92 ).
The wider Select catalogue covers works spanning a range of mediums and time periods, from a beautiful 1949 work on paper by Juliet Peter (Lot 78 ), to the silk Vermillion Dream by contemporary artist Rozana Lee (Lot 109 ). A fittingly impressive start to an exciting new era for Webb’s.The June Select auction takes place at Webb’s Auckland gallery on Monday 12 June at 6.30pm.
