Of note in Gibson's Auctions | Australian & International auction to be held on 21 April 2024 is a small observational study of an Eastern market scene by Mortimer Menpes (1855-1938). Estimated at $30,000 – 40,000, The Street Vendor (Lot 5 ) is housed in the original frame, ordered by Menpes from Japan.
Headlining the sale from lots 1-10 is a selection from the Jackie and Hugh Wallace collection, a mix of traditional through modern, including two works by Mortimer Menpes (1855-1938), notably a well-executed scene in oils titled The Street Vendor (Lot 5 ) which is reminiscent of the artists travels through South Asia and India; housed in its original Japanese frame unique to the artist. The collection also includes a vibrant Margaret Preston (1875-1963) colour-woodblock Hibiscus 1925 (Lot 8 ), a striking beach scene by William Rowell (1898-1946) (Lot 3 ) and an appealing and early John Coburn (1925-2006) (Lot 10 ) also flank the first ten lots.
The David and Susi Caddy collection from lots 41 – 114 notably the collection includes an early still life (Lot 56 ) by Nora Heysen (1911-2003), painted in 1934 the year the artist travelled to London in her mid-twenties; a moody silhouette Street Scene, Paris (Lot 67 ) by Charles Blackman (1928-2018) executed in the Antipodeans archetypal style and an autumnal early still life by Leonard French (1928-2017)(Lot 73 ). The collection also holds several classic examples by Dorothy Braund (1926-2013), notably Hot Day (Lot 64 ), a large panoramic scene of huddled figures in characteristic sandy and cerulean coastal tones.
The final single-owner component of the auction is a contemporary collection from esteemed gallerists Jan Courtin and Marshall Harris (lots 159-163), including two dynamic works by Ben Quilty (born 1973) painted in 2002. Lots 159 and 160 ennoble West Melbourne's monolithic docklands in blazing colours delightfully contained in pocket-sized canvases.
The auction contains several large-scale paintings from private collections, including an imposing painting by Ray Crooke (1922-2015) (Lot 13 ), two large landscapes in oils by Geoff Dyer (1947-2020) (lot 24 and 33), and an early David Larwill (1956-2011) (Lot 29 ).
A concentrated section of Indigenous paintings in the sale commands ample wall space, including a prominent 1993 work by stockman Rover Thomas (1926-1998) (Lot 201 ), an expansive Dorothy Napangardi (c. 1956-2013), Salt on the Mina Mina, 2003 (Lot 211 ), and two well-documented paintings by Ronnie Tjampitjinpa (born c. 1943) (lot 213 and 218).
Gibson's sale will be on view at their Armadale showrooms from Thursday to Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm.
