Of note in the Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers Fine Art | Australian & International auction to be held on 18 September 2023 is a sketchbook with original drawings by Bauhaus stalwart, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956). The sketchbook on offer (Lot 6084 ) is estimated at $30,000 – 40,000 and belonged to the late Fred Werner, a good friend and former flatmate of Feininger. The pair lived together in Berlin about 1889-1890 and stayed in contact when Werner emigrated to Australia shortly afterwards.
The sketchbook on offer here (Lot 6084 ) belonged to Werner, a good friend and former flatmate of Feininger. The pair lived together in Berlin about 1889-1890 and stayed in contact when Werner emigrated to Australia shortly afterwards. The sketchbook was discovered by Werner's grandson and contains lively pen and ink sketches by both Feininger and Werner, six signed by Feininger and several others annotated.
Other auction standouts include two small, atmospheric works by Lloyd Rees - A Memory of The South (Lot 6033 ) and The Harbour at Northwood (Lot 6010 ) - on offer for the first time since they were acquired at exhibition in 1968 and ’72, respectively. There’s an organic, free-flowing charcoal landscape by Mika Utzon Popov (Lot 6039 ), an in-demand artist specialising in sweeping, large scale site installations, design and drawings. And there’s a nod to Mika’s grandfather, Jorn Utzon, with Dora Toovey’s moment-in-time oil on canvas, The Sydney Opera House, Under Construction (Lot 6019 ).
For photography collectors, it’s hard to look past Estonian artist, Andrius Burba’s Under-Horse Giclee print (Lot 6060 ). The artist has made a name for himself photographing animals from beneath glass floors or tables, with remarkable and fascinating results.
Ray Crooke’s Gaugin inspired paintings of the South Pacific continue to perform well at auction. Islanders in Village (Lot 6043 ) and Islanders near the Sea (Lot 6029 ) are typical of his vibrant village scenes, while Islanders Fishing (Lot 6020 ) is a small but striking oil on canvas, in tranquil, muted tones.
Of the 180 lots on offer, there are affordable options for new buyers with works on paper and art objects by artists including Fernando Bellver, Jean Charles Blais, Ulan Djaparov, Martine Emdur and Mike Parr.
