Over the past few years growing collector interest in works by John Brack and the recent John Brack Retrospective at the NGV have resulted in outstanding results at auction for the artist. The leading lot in the sale, Backs and Fronts, 1969, (Lot 34 ), estimated at $1,600,000 – 2,200,00, is one of two major paintings from Brack’s Ballroom Dancing series and is a rich, lively and iconic painting that captures Brack’s relentless observations of social masks and mores.
Another key work included in the sale, is Jeffrey Smart’s Approach to a City III, painted in 1968-69 with a $550,000-700,000 estimate (Lot 36 ). This work was widely exhibited across Australia between 1969 and 2000 and has been referenced in four art publications. The provenance points to this work characterising Smart’s widely admired graphic aesthetic, pictorial flattening and obsession with urban life and its environment.
Also notable is Justin O’Brien’s The Window circa 1963, (Lot 25 ), estimated at $50,000-70,000. O’Brien was not a prolific artist and only 370 works have been traded on the secondary market since the 1970s. The Window has never been to auction and has had only one owner since it was acquired directly from the artist. It features a rich colour palette and strongly references O’Brien’s love for 16th century Dutch still life and Italian Renaissance painting, at play with geometric patterning and interacting textures.
Saddle at the You Yangs (Lot 30 ) is a stunning example of Fred Williams’ You Yangs landscapes, which according to John Brack in his eulogy to Williams ‘changed the way we see our country’. Painted in 1978, Saddle at the You Yangs, is estimated at $300,000-360,000, and features a beautiful combination of colours, tones, brush strokes and designs typical of Williams’ work.
Only eight works by Gordon Bennett have been traded through auction in the past two years and this sale includes a further two works, Lots 20 and 76, both priced at $40,000-50,000. Bennett is seen as the Australian Jean-Michel Basquiat, incorporating text, graphics and socio-political commentary.
Two Brett Whiteley painted and glazed earthernware plates, (Lot 3 ) and (Lot 65 ) are estimated at $16,000-22,000 and $20,000-26,000 respectively. Whiteley ceramics do not come up very often at auction, but they are beautiful modern interpretations of the traditional Blue and White porcelain that has its origins in Asia.
The Asian influence in Whiteley’s work is again evident in his calligraphic oil and mixed media painting, Shui (Water Wader), painted in 1978-79 (Lot 31 ), estimated at $500,000-700,000. This is another work which has never been traded through auction, but has been sold twice as an investment work, through the gallery arena.
Other key Australian artists sought after by collectors, who are well represented in this offering include Charles Blackman (4 works), David and Arthur Boyd (each 3), Norman Lindsay (5), Sidney Nolan (5), Fred Williams (3), Arthur Streeton (4), William Dobell (3), Brett Whiteley (4), Jeffrey Smart (3), John Olsen (3), as well as works by Russell Drysdale, Grace Cossington Smith, Justin O’Brien and Tim Storrier.
Contemporary artists represented include Rick Amor, Patricia Piccinini, Jasper Knight, Michael Zavros, John Kelly and Rosemary Laing as well as a small selection of Aboriginal paintings, including Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Paddy Bedford, Mini Pwerle and Tommy Watson.
The sale offers a comprehensive range of traditional, modern and contemporary art with a focus on quality collector pieces.
