Early crowd pleasers which are a guaranteed sell such as the Michael Parekowhai The Bosom of Abraham lightboxes both got away to phone bidders although the work with the stronger colour contrast of blue and orange sold for $21,000 (Lot 3 ) while the other work which was predominately white made $15,000 (Lot 4 ). Domestic scale sculpture by Paul Dibble is consistently performing very well at auction and a group of four pieces from various vendors all went well over estimates. The highest price went to a 60cm tall work, a maquette for a public sculpture in Wellington, Fruits of the Garden (Lot 11 ) which realised $16,000 off a low estimate of $13,000.
The appetite for Fiona Pardington photographs just keeps increasing with the top two prices for the artist set at this auction as well as the top price for a contemporary photograph. One of the star lots of the sale was Davis Kea Wings (Above) (Lot 20 ) fresh from its outing at Toi Tu Toi Ora at Auckland Art Gallery where it was dramatically hung in a dimly lit room and looked incredible. This photograph was the only work from the edition printed on a gesso substrate which eventually proved too technically difficult and costly to pursue, so it was unique in that sense. Even if it had hit the low estimate of $60,000 it would have taken the auction record but the work was contested by 3 phones the internet and the floor. One of the floor bidders even entered the bidding at $100,000 but the work eventually sold to the phone at $111,000. The second work, one of the popular Huia photographs Captive Female Huia (Lot 21 ) set the second highest price at $72,000 against a reserve which reflected its last sale price of $35,000 set last year. This photograph was only printed in 2016 so the growth in the artist’s market is quite staggering.
One of Banksy’s most popular images Morons (Lot 23 ), failed to find a buyer at the A+O sale, illustrating once again how the heat has come out of the market here. An edition of Morons, hand signed by the artist was sold in March at IAC for $213,000 and the example at A+O had the signature in the plate which does affect the value, but based on recent sales of the work the estimate of $60,000-$80,000 felt achievable. The print had internet bidding to $50,000 online and was sold subject at $55,000 but appears unsold on the results to date.
Moving into the higher value lots of the sale, the bidding really took off and this is where the sale really came into its own. A characteristically enigmatic female portrait by Peter Stichbury Vita Ventra 1978 (Lot 30 ), painted just two years ago, sold over the top estimate to realise $76,000 and set the record for the artist at auction. Similarly a very popular work by Seung Yul Oh, Pokpo (Lot 32 ) in an edition of 10, realised $34,000 against a low estimate of $17,000. Just last year another work from a separate but extremely similar edition realised $20,000 which was the top price at auction for both the artist and this work until now. A densely painted and beautifully ‘drippy’ painting by Allen Maddox Untitled (Lot 38 ) had a huge amount of competition, to sell high at $35,000 against a low estimate of $20,000.
The group of paintings from the collectors Elizabeth and Gordon Orr also performed well. Charles Tole’s Haystacks (Lot 46 ) was a great example by the artist and bidders recognised this too. Internet, phone and two on the floor contested the painting from $18,000 up to $35,500 and the third highest for the artist at auction. A fresh to the market painting of one of Don Binney’s favourite painting spots Te Henga (Lot 47 ) also sold well. Despite it being ‘without a bird’ as auctioneer Ben Plumbly wryly commented, apparently numerous clients had observed during the viewing period which could get tedious, that didn’t stop them bidding. After a very slow start to get an opening bid at $100,000 which was $20,000 below the estimate, multiple bidders between the phone, room and internet all bid strongly before the work sold at $200,000.
Another Binney, this time with a bird but not painted in New Zealand also sold for over $200,000. Apapane, Kilauea (Lot 59 ) was painted ten years after the artist made a trip to Hawaii. This work was a good option for someone who wanted a recognisable bird painting but didn’t want to pay the $300,000 plus price tag for a New Zealand native bird image. After a low start of $70,000, the work was bid up quickly by various parties and a new bidder entering at $185,000 before the hammer came down at $215,000.
A couple of the high profile lots failed to sell during the auction, including the tough work by Michael Smither Doubting Thomas (Lot 62 ) which had already been offered at IAC this time last year. A $20,000 reduction on reserve unfortunately failed to entice buyers, the painting just being a difficult work for even the most seasoned Smither enthusiast. Another tough work was Jeffrey’ Harris’s Two People (Lot 64 ) – difficult in size (3.5 metres long) and subject matter (blood dripping from between the female’s legs), it was a classic Jeffrey Harris painting from the 1980s. Jeffrey Harris has a niche market of passionate collectors that don’t mind the challenging subject matter and the price was appealing at $26,000-$40,000 but it seems that this work might be staying with the vendor for a bit longer.
Overall Art + Object had an extremely successful sale and the clearance rate on the night of 62% in no way reflected the results. The room felt positive and buoyant, there were multiple bidders on lots, evidenced by the fact that many pieces went well over-estimate. Ben Plumbly handled the internet bidding with a deft touch, keeping the sale moving at pace. The stage has been set for the Burr & Tatham Sale in September – after these results expect even more heated bidding and stronger results!
All prices shown are in $NZ and are hammer prices unless otherwise indicated.
