With such a chequered recent history, the new owners Bruce Qin and Ewen Mackenzie-Bowie are keen to quickly move away from the past and reinstate Webb’s as a significant auction business with their new ideas and expertise from their previous non auction related businesses. There was a lot riding on this first round of sales, to put an offering to the market which said Webb’s is back and ready to go.
The catalogue looked great, helped by lots of generous half page illustrations and the viewing even better. The presentation of the sale was excellent and the mix of art and furniture always helps to market the items to a cross section of clients. The art sale was pitched as a ‘Collector’s Sale’ so a second tier sale with prices ranging from the low hundreds to $15,000. A good crowd of around 70 people turned out as the auction started right on 6.30pm – with a new auctioneer, Ellen Stelter-Bowen (previously from the Decorative Arts and Design Department at Phillips in London) who was bought in to sell the inaugural sale.
The auction ticked along slowly with a couple of excellent results including (Lot 13 ) – Max Gimblett Remembrance, a screenprinted brass quatrefoil which was one of 10,000 produced for a fundraiser to save St David’s church in Auckland from demolition. In 2015, these works covered the side of the church for 3 months and then were sold for $100 each raising $1,000,000 making it the most successful heritage fundraising effort to date in New Zealand. Despite the large number produced it was still amazing to see multiple bidders in the room compete to bid the work to $1,200 against a low estimate of $300. I predict a steady stream of Remembrance works coming onto the market from now on. Another highlight was (Lot 80 ), Alan Taylor Manukau Landscape realizing $3,700 against an $800 low estimate. This was an outstanding, highly detailed and beautifully executed example and well deserving of such a strong price.
The top price in the auction was achieved by a Gordon Walters screenprint. Currently the subject of a major touring exhibition in New Zealand, Gordon Walters prints were hot property at Webb’s with Kapiti (lot 17) realizing $16,000 against a $12,000 reserve, easily eclipsing its previous highest price of $9,500. Another Walters work (Lot 59 ) Kahukura which is just an uneditioned and unsigned screenprint poster not produced by the estate of the artist also exceeded expectations to realise $650 against a $300 low estimate.
It was disappointing that the Barry Lett Woman with Child (Lot 22 ) went unsold as this work was the most significant work by the artist to appear at auction. These sculptures made from carefully calibrated stones are an important part of the artists’ oeuvre and such a work hasn’t been on the open market previously, meaning the buyer interest and the price estimate was untested. The low estimate of $15,000 would have been a record for Barry Lett had it been reached but the work was unsold at $13,000.
The bargain of the night was the visually arresting work by Rutland Group artist Vida Steinert. Usually a painter of sombre, brown and green landscapes, occasionally a gem of a work will appear on the market, a figurative work with a strong linear quality. Spanish Dancer (Lot 31 ) was a fabulous example depicting a dancer with full, billowing skirts, hands clasped above her head, with the band playing behind her. Strongly reminiscent of similar works depicting musicians by her Elam teacher John Weeks, this painting was knocked down at $550 (and not to me sadly!).
To coin a phrase from the other New Zealand AASD correspondent John Perry who is currently overseas, the rest of the sale was mainly ‘rats and mice’ however the auctioneer gave each and every work plenty of time and the sale went very slowly compared to other second tier art sales which usually steam ahead as fast as the phones, and internet bidding allow. Although the auctioneer had a lovely manner, some lots felt like she was having a slow, one sided conversation with the bidders rather than hurrying them along to bid.
There were also no ‘sold subject’ bids called during the auction, so it was unclear whether there was an absentee bid on the sheets, or the bid called was an opening bid. In some instances, the works were knocked down as unsold even if clients were bidding in the room, albeit under the reserve, therefore losing the opportunity negotiate with that client after the sale. According to a statement from the Webb’s staff this morning, it ‘was the preference of the auctioneer not to take subjects on the night’, but I found it very confusing as an onlooker and possibly others did too, especially as referrals are such a major part of the post auction process and commonplace in New Zealand. I would have thought that in a new business you would want to capitalize on every sales opportunity in the moment but the I’m sure the staff are busy conducting post sales today.
At 9pm the auction was over, 135 lots had been offered and overall the new team at Webb’s will be happy they are off to a solid start. The sale hammered $160,560 on the night which about 50% by value and was about 50% by lot. Two further Decorative Arts and Jewellery sales will take place this week and an interesting selection of stock will hopefully carry on this encouraging momentum.
