First exhibited in 2019 as part of The Itinerant’s Repose series, Tully’s Baggage is integral to the works that are characterised by a strong sense of nostalgia for rural New South Wales childhood.
However, the real surprise of the auction – where 70 percent of the works changed hands – was American sculptor Alexander Calder’s (1898-1976) tapestry entitled Les Vagues (the Waves, from the Bicentennial Tapestries) 1975 (lot 26), one of six to mark the American Revolution bicentenary and shown during the 1980s at New York’s Alex Rosenberg Gallery, which changed hands for $58,909 on an $8,000-$12,000 catalogue estimate.
Calder was famous for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) and his monumental public sculptures.
American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s (1923-1997) Red Lamp 1992 colour lithograph (Lot 23 ) was another strong performer, ending up with the lucky buyer for $38,818.
Several pottery pieces by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) were prominent in the sale, the best performer being Cavalier et Cheval 1952 (Lot 43 ) at an above estimate figure of $39,273.
Melbourne artist George Baldstein’s (1939-1978) Recurring Pears (Lot 39 ) and Cressida Campbell’s Bondi Baths 1984 (Lot 1 ) each brought $27,000, while the iconic Brett Whiteley’s (1939-1982) offset lithograph The Cat 1980 (Lot 66 ) fetched the top price of several of his entries at $24,595, followed by his Lavender Bay in the Rain 1987 screenprint (Lot 67 ) at $22,091.
Russian-French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) rounded out the top 10 results with The Tribe of Simeon (from Twelve maquettes of Stained Glass Windows for Jerusalem) 1964 that sold for $20,864 on a $4000-$6000 catalogue estimate.
