For Lucio himself, the sale of this unique collection no doubt is a time for reflection and perhaps also loss. However, he can rest assured that the art from his collection will continue to be cherished by his patrons/collectors who went to great lengths to snap up any example of the 167 lots on offer in the sale at Bonhams titled appropriately “Food, Art and Friendship”.
Australians have a great love for eating out and the comfort it provides, which has been especially the case in these Covid times. Our Uber Eats delivery driver has become as close as our favourite restaurateur. Perhaps we have found a new appreciation for eating out after it has been denied us so many times in 2020.
Thankfully dining out here feels like it has more or less returned to normal. But with international travel restrictions still firmly in place (and free movement between States still not certain) probably until 2022, a considerable amount of disposable income is finding its way into the purchase of art.
It was wonderful to see a packed auction room again – although still observant of the restrictions on numbers and despite the pouring rain -, humming with a vibrant and expectant atmosphere when Bonhams director Merryn Schriever took to the rostrum for what turned out to be a six hour marathon auction of Lucio’s collection.
One very active Eastern Suburbs art collecting couple and long-time patrons of Lucio’s were so keen to pay homage, they have created their own “Lucio’s Wall of Art” with nine artworks purchased in the sale, including paintings by John Olsen, Peter Godwin, Robert Malherbe and Euan Macleod.
By any measure, the estimates placed on the collection were keen and low, which was sure to entice the serious and not so serious art enthusiasts. Those who just wanted a piece of Lucio’s were there bidding in abundance it seemed, to perhaps capture the essence of Lucio’s for their own home.
Unsurprisingly, those artists with the closest association with Lucio’s were represented with the most artworks: John Olsen led with 18 works (including the cover lot (Lot 151 ), a decorated Nebuchadnezzar bottle of Bollinger and his famous cover for Lucio’s wine list), followed by Garry Shead and Luke Sciberras with 10 works each, Ken Johnson 7, Tim Storrier 6 and Charles Blackman 5.
Lot 1, John Olsen’s delightful How they made great chefs in Italy (Lot 1 ) made for a fitting starter for the feast that followed, selling for $5,500 (estimated $2,000-4,000). Like so many of the artworks on offer at Bonhams, it was illustrated in The Art of Food at Lucio’s, the 1999 publication of the art at Lucio’s, with the auction catalogue quoting some of the accompanying essays by the artists and other greats. In this case, the honour went to legendary art critic Robert Hughes (a wonderful read, but a bit too long to quote here. However, subscribers to AASD can access the essay through lot 1).
Charles Blackman’s large canvas The Table (Lot 2 ) sold mid-range at $22,000 (est. $18,000-25,000), whilst Luke Sciberras’ very different spread La Cucina dell’eta d’oro (Lot 3 ) surpassed its hopes of $2,000-4,000 and selling for $6,500.
Garry Shead’s convivial The Banquet, 2014 (Lot 8 ) sold for $42,000, $10,000 above its high estimate, while Guy Maestri’s eye-catching large Red River, 2004 (Lot 15 ) tripled its high hopes of $5,000 to sell for $15,000.
However it was the first of a number of paintings by Peter Godwin, Pesce, 2014 (Lot 21 ), estimated at $600-900, and selling for $7,750, that gave us a true taste of what was to transpire for the entire afternoon.
One of the most visually stunning features of the sale were the 35 ceramic plates that Lucio directly commissioned from 35 important contemporary artists over several years, all estimated at $1,000-2,000. The first course consisting of the first six lots of these hand painted plates already proved to be substantial (lot 22 – lot 27): Stephen Bird’s quirky Lucio’s (Lot 24 ), featuring a naked couple with two large eyeballs stuck onto the plate, sold for a staggering $13,000, as did Garry Shead’s divine La Divina Comedia, 2013 (Lot 26 ), as well as going to same bidder on the internet.
As the auction progressed, it was becoming clear to a lady on the left side of the aisle and gentleman directly in front of us that taking home a plate was going to be real challenge whatever price they were prepared to bid to.
The internet bidder appeared to have a very large Welsh dresser that needed filling, pushing prices higher: Tim Storrier’s 1998 contribution (Lot 65 ) sold for $10,000, whilst Colin Lanceley’s La Trotta (Lot 66 ) sold for $7,500. The frenzy to smash plate estimates continued with Frank Hodginkson’s 1998 plate (Lot 90 ) selling for $13,000, and John Coburn’s commission (Lot 91 ) for $7,500.
The gentleman bidder in front of us was undaunted and bid $20,000 for the 1998 John Olsen plate (Lot 92 ), but still did not succeed, as the internet bidder secured this one for an amazing $22,000. The bidder perhaps still in shock at his purchase missed out on the Fred Cress (Lot 93 ), which went to a phone bidder for $10,000. The internet bidder was back again for Bryan Westwood’s Lucio Loves Ducks. So Do I (Lot 94 ) paying $13,000 against stiff competition from our lady room bidder. By comparison, the Ildiko Kovacs plate from 2013 (Lot 95 ) seemed a real bargain at $5,500.
The gentleman’s determination to secure a painted plate in this auction reached its peak when one pleasingly pastel coloured plate by Laura Jones (Lot 118 ) was offered; he was in no mood to stop whatever the price, which in the end amounted to $35,000, which is $43,000 including buyer’s premium . The room bidder then put the same energies into securing Elizabeth Cummings’ breakfast with fried egg plate (Lot 119 ) shelling out another dazzling $20,000.
However our internet bidder was back on track to secure the last five of the commissioned artist’s plates (Lot 152 ), (Lot 153 ), (Lot 154 ), (Lot 155 ), (Lot 156 ), all at comparatively reasonable hammer prices between $3,000 and $4,500.
It appears that the sale of the Laura Jones plate (Lot 118 ) for $35,000 hammer price ($43,000 including buyer’s premium) has seemingly achieved the extraordinary feat of the highest price at auction for a painted ceramic plate. This artist has had virtually no secondary market presence up until now, with just a small painting Still Life with Cumquats produced in 2013, the same year as the plate, selling for $475 in 2015. Laura Jones’ art is represented by Olsen Gallery.
Other highest auction prices for ceramic plates we could locate were all by very high profile artists known for working in this medium. Arthur Boyd’s Europa and the Bull platter sold at Christies in May 2005 for $27,000, whilst Brett Whiteley’s Bird Bathing, c1990, sold at Menzies in June 2010 for $24,000. William Robinson’s Rooster and Sunset sold at Menzies in March for the same $24,000, and of course the aforementioned plate by John Olsen (Lot 92 ) going for $22,000.
John Olsen’s Great Noses of Australia (wine list cover) from 1992 (Lot 89 ), as well as the cover lot by Olsen Improvisation on an Octopus (Lot 151 ), a signature large watercolour by the artist, went to the same and seemingly intrepid internet bidder for $24,000 and $48,000 respectively.
Also two artworks by Garry Shead intricately linked with Lucio’s and in unusual media were on offer: A Representation of the Poet Ern Malley. Fresco circa 1945 or 1495 restored by the artist for Lucio’s, 2006 (Lot 101 ), a fresco on plaster board referring to the great Australian literary hoax, sold for $38,000 (est. $40,000-60,000). From Ameglia (Lot 108 ) is a beautiful mosaic that was attached to an alcove wall outside the entrance to Lucio’s and had to be removed painstakingly by specialists. The hard work paid off: it sold for $40,000 on estimates of $20,000-30,000.
Bookending the sale was Brian O’Dwyer’s pensive looking Philosopher (Lot 168 ), a small bronze just 33 cm high by an erstwhile assistant to Robert Klippel, and surely as carefully selected for this slot as lot 1 was. It was estimated at the ubiquitous $1,000-2,000 and kept up with the theme of the day selling for $12,000.
Bonhams sale of Lucio’s generated $1.37 million hammer price against pre-sale estimates of $560,000-895,000 ($1,690 million including buyer’s premium). This equals an extraordinary 246% sold by value and 98% by number.
Davidson Auctions
Meanwhile on the other side of Sydney whilst the rain poured down, so did the bids on Davidson Auctions Art and Collector sale, a different audience, with over 800 bidders online at times, but with the same keen interest in collecting ceramics. Starting at 10 am to get through the many and varied offerings of 732 lots, Robert Davidson was on his feet auctioneering even longer than Merryn Schriever.
Robert Davidson sold lot 387, a Chinese Qing flambe glazed Lingzhi bowl (rather than a plate), for a very satisfying $40,000, ten times the high estimate of $4,000. Meanwhile, the preceding lot 386, a Chinese pear shaped porcelain vase was believed to have a value of $1,500-2,500, but sold for the very juicy $32,000.
Even more unexpected was the result for lot 376: the pair of Chinese Famille Rose porcelain plaques measuring 44 x 12 cm each: on estimates of just $150-250, they blossomed to the incredible height of $42,000.
The sleeper amongst the 329 art lots was Adoration of the Shepherds (lot 287) attributed to Bernardo Strozzi (1581 – 1644) which soared to $28,000 on hopes of $2,000-4,000.
All prices are hammer prices unless indicated otherwise.
