Almost 70 per cent of the part of his indigenous art collection that Melbourne-based artist James Smeaton’s entrusted for a timed online auction on June 6 with Deutscher and Hackett sold, with many of the works achieving above catalogue estimate prices. The top selling painting was Makinti Napanangka’s Untitled, 2003 (Lot 5 ) which was knocked down for $28,000 against an $18,000-$25,000 estimate.
Willy Tjungurrayi’s Untitled (Tingari), 1981 (Lot 21 ) $19,000 return was within estimate range – while Richard Moketarinja’s Central Australian Landscape watercolour changed hands for a staggering $13,000, given its paltry $600-$800 estimate.
This amount also was paid for Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri’s Untitled, 2005 (Lot 1 ) and for the Warlayirti Suite, 2005 (Lot 54 ) painted by various indigenous artists.
Nyapanyapa Yunupinu’s Untitled (Yidaki), 2013 didgeridoo was another solid return at $10,000 and slightly behind that, each at $9500, were women artists Eubena Nampitjin’s Inyaroo, 2000 (Lot 9 ) and Elizabeth Nyumi Nungyrrayi’s Parwalla, 2002 (Lot 12 ).
Ken Bell Tjampitjinpa’s Love Story, 1974 (Lot 33 ) reached its top estimate of $8000 and rounding out the top lots each at $7500 were Old Tutuma Tjapangati’s Eagle Dreaming, 1975 (Lot 46 ) and Michael Cook’s photograph entitled Ashtray, 2014 (Lot 13 ).
