A photograph by the late great New Zealand photographer Peter Peryer, Self Portrait with Rooster (Lot 3 ) sold for $6,000. Five lots in the sale were devoted to the work of this recently departed photographer.
The Art + Object catalogue featured an excellent essay by Grant Kerr a friend and collector of Peter's works. The essay cast a bright light on the practice and domestic life of Peryer since his relocation to New Plymouth around the millenium.
Fiona Partington's dark and mysterious diptych entitled Huia Lovers (Lot 6 ) sold for a surprising $31,000, well above the top estimate of $25,000 while a beautiful full set of 28 Robin White hand coloured woodblock prints in a bound folio from 1985 were let go for only $15,000.
But 28 Days in Kiribati (Lot 18 ) was certainly the bargain of the night selling at the low estimate of $15,000 while the surprise of the night was the failure of a large floor standing lichen covered Spiromorph (Lot 22 ) by the late Coromandel potter Barry Brickell, estimated at $6,000-9,000, to attract a starting bid of $5,000.
One of the major artworks in the sale was a large and beautifully crafted acrylic on canvas work from 1974 by the late Milan Mrkusich. Meta Grey Cold (Lot 36 ) measured 165 cm square and carried an estimate of $140,000- $180,000. Interest in the painting was strong and it sold to an art consultant in the room for $200,000.a new record for a work at auction by this artist.
Bidding on an early work by Colin McCahon entitled Annunciation (Lot 38 ) from the late 1940's estimated at $300,000-400,000 started at $200,000 and rose slowly, selling to an art consultant present in the room at the low estimate. The work was one of the last works from that period to remain in private hands and it was the first time the work had been offered in the secondary market.
A similar situation prevailed with the cover illustration, a 1934 Charles Fredrick Goldie oil on canvas that had been purchased directly from the artist not long after it was painted, remaining in the same family collection until now. Interest in the painting was considerable with the bidding opening at $500,000, itself a major milestone for the New Zealand art market.
The portrait of Takahi Atama Paparangi (Lot 39 ), the subject looking looking directly at the viewer, was sold subject to vendor approval for $650,000 falling short of the low end estimate by $100,000.
Works by Don Binney have been prolific in the market recently and two classic Binney works were included in this auction. Walking Alone (Lot 40 ) from the Te Henga series of paintings featuring a Tui (bird) perched on a Kauri branch, estimated at $260,000 to $350,00 sold well at $290,000 while a smaller oil on paper work, Bellbird over Great Barrier Island (Lot 43 ) from 1983 sold for $78,000
A large work by John Pule (Lot 42 ) sold well, creating a new record price for the artist’s work at auction. Selling for $67,000 it exceeded the high estimate by $2,000 and the prvious high for the artist by $5,000. John Pule the Polynesian poet and painter's works have been attracting considerable interest in recent times as our shared Pacific Island heritage is becoming more visible in our various cultural communities.
In all, the results were pleasing with sales on the night exceeding $1.5 million and around two thirds of the works on offer finding new owners, with key works under negotiation expected to add to these figures.
All prices shown are hammer in $NZ.
