What was a little surprising was the number of preceding lots that sold for less than the low estimate. Twenty three lots did not reach low estimate but the hammer fell anyway. As examples, William Robinson's Fern In Sunlight (Lot 30 ) fetched only $13,000 with expectations between $26,000-$34,000, and Charles Blackman’s The Haystacks In Moonlight (Lot 22 ) sold for $10,000 with catalogue estimates of $18,000-$22,000.
On the positive side, records were broken with Rick Amor’s The Waiter (Lot 36 ), enjoying heated bidding with three active bidders in the room and a couple on the phones. It eventually sold for $110,000, estimate $60,000-80,000) The sentimental favourite was Tracery, 2003, a large work by Bronwyn Oliver, (Lot 49 ) which reached $300,000 setting a record price for the artist, previously held by Skein, 2004 which sold in 2007 for $192,000 including BP.
Preliminary results according to Menzies Art Brands, is that the sale grossed $14.83 million including Buyer's Premium, with 75.8% selling by number (163 lots of the 215 offered) and 85.58% selling by value.
