There are many friends of Friend in Sri Lanka

By David Hulme & Brigitte Banziger, on 29-Aug-2011

Donald Friend lived in Sri Lanka for just five short years from 1957 to 1962, creating an exceptional body of work which continues to excite as Leonard Joel’s last Sunday fine art auction revealed. 

'By Lake Kandy', watercolour, signed 'Donald Friend' lower right and titled lower right, 34 x 50.5 cm, Estimate: $2,500-3,500, Leonard Joel, The Sunday Art Auction, Melbourne, 28/08/2011, Lot No. 29. Sold for $13,200 incl. B.P.

 

Many of Friend’s small works on paper usually sell in the low thousands as did ‘Ceylon’, a wonderful surrealist work which on estimates of $2,500 to $3,500 sold for $2,640 incl. buyer’s premium at Lawson-Menzies on 11th August this year.

Likewise, ‘Weligama, Ceylon’, of a similar size at 34.5 x 50 cm, sold at a Leonard Joel Auction on 21st November 2010 for $3,120 incl. b.p.

The rather colourful and more appealing ‘Street Market, Ceylon’, again a comparable work, achieved a more respectable $6,600 incl. b.p. at Deutscher + Hackett on 28th April 2010.

With prices of these small works on paper averaging around $4,000 incl. b.p., it is indeed surprising when a work sells for $13,200 incl. b.p. as did ‘By Lake Kandy’ on 28 August at Leonard Joel’s in Melbourne. It was certainly realistically estimated at $2,500 to $3,500.

However, according to Briar Williams, head of art at Joel’s, the two very enthusiastic phone bidders were Sri Lankan and both from the local Kandy area. The gloves came off for a very serious battle to secure the work.

Lake Kandy is one of the most beautiful parts of Sri Lanka, and this painting captures the town’s timeless appeal. Even if we here in Australia sometimes fail to recognise Friend’s sojourn in Sri Lanka, there is no doubt that a large number of Sri Lankans have not forgotten him – and are still prepared to compete hard for some of Friend’s best work.

These works from Sri Lanka are somewhat rare in comparison to Friend’s Balinese or Australian scenes. With a wealthy Sri Lankan middle class eager to repatriate these paintings, we may well see more of these fierce bidding battles.

 

Sale Referenced:

About The Author

Brigitte Banziger and David Hulme are the principals of Banziger Hulme Fine Art Consultants, established since 2003. With their combined experience of over 40 years, they provide private collectors as well as companies and public institutions with independent expert art valuations. In addition to their appraisals for insurance, family law, deceased estates and market values, they assist clients with transparent advice when buying or selling an individual artwork or an entire collection, for some of Australia’s most significant private collectors. David Hulme is an approved valuer for the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, and both Brigitte and David are members of the Art Consulting Association of Australia, where David served as President from 2015 to 2019. David Hulme is a regular art market critic and commentator on the Australian art market and has been interviewed by numerous media, including the 'Australian Financial Review', 'The Australian' and 'The Sydney Morning Herald'. He has also been interviewed on Network 10’s 'The Project', on the ABC’s Radio National Breakfast show with Hamish MacDonald, the ABC’s 'The Business' program amongst many others.

.