At evening start the signs were good; the room was full and the atmosphere was noticeably buouyant with bids from the phones being easily matched by the number of bidders on the floor. So it came as a slight surprise when reviewing the outcome to see that a fair number of rare and high quality works did not attract bids to a level anticipated, leading to approximately half of the recorded results landing at or below low estimate.
Another surprise of the night was auctioneer, Roger McIlroy’s, opening address, a tribute to the indefatigable art dealer, Joan McClelland who had just reached a milestone birthday. Whether Mrs McClelland wished to adhere to the maxim that a lady never reveals her age is unknown (!), but McIlroy’s gracious words and D+H’s gift of flowers revealed a generosity of spirit in an industry largely focused on dollars and sale rates.
The spotlight continued on the ladies with two disinguished collections from the estate of the Lady Casey and artist and patron Lina Bryans. Further consolidating the strength of the female contribution and providing a sale highlight was Grace Cossington Smith’s Still Life with Boronia 1955 (Lot 6 ). Originally acquired by Lady Casey it trumped its pre-sale prediction fetching $135,000.
Also from the same collection was Ellis Rowan’s quaint and delightful Decorated Photograph Album (Lot 3 ) which eclipsed its quote when it sold for double its estimate at $74,000.
Other female artists to do the heavy-lifting were Rosalie Gascoigne and Susan Norrie. At $60,000 Gascoigne’s Tesserae 2, 1989 (Lot 22 ) claimed both the highest price for the Tesserae series as well as for a small-scaled work by the artist. Though its probably not so startling when the work directly correlates with All that Jazz, Gascoigne’s all time auction record. Whereas the oil may have barely dried on Norrie’s, Often 2011-12 (Lot 55 ), it was not perceived as a disadvantage, selling for $24,000, close to upper estimate.
Lady Casey’s collection had the honour of kicking off the auction and lot 1, Eugene von Guerard’s engaging pair, Police Paddock 1855, did not disappoint yielding a sound $180,000 winning bid against a low estimate of $150,000. An absentee bidder secured the subsequent von Guerard painting Distant View towards the Yarra Bend from our Little Tower 1871, well under estimate at $110,000. Perhaps the absence of von Guerard’s usual romance and narrative in a largely topographical painting proved to narrow its appeal.
Another work from the Casey collection, Rabbit by Sali Herman (Lot 126 ), was more successful at invoking empathy (or maybe hunger) and doubled its estimate when it was hammered at $9,000.
The see-sawing outcomes between an artist’s different works, as seen with von Guerard, was also evident in the offerings by other blue chip artists including Arthur Boyd, James Gleeson and Russell Drysdale. The latter artist’s engaging and uncommon Still Life 1937 was snapped up at a top price of $55,000 (Lot 5 ) whilst Drysdale’s classic Malay Boy, Broome 1959 (Lot 17 ) was initially met with a flurry of bids but then sold for a spongier $280,000 against its $300,000 low estimate.
Next in this category were the handsome selection of works by the masterful Ian Fairweather from the collection of Lina Bryans. Substantial and respectable prices were achieved by two of the paintings but they were probably not quite as fulsome as anticipated. Catalogue front cover, Boats at Soochow, (Lot 10 ) elicited a rally of bids between the phone and the floor until competition eased at $525,000. Similarly Temple Yard, Peking 1936 (Lot 11 ) witnessed a duel but it ran out of puff just past low estimate and sold at $320,000. The last Fairweather painting, Alligator Creek, Cairns (Lot 12 ) played third wheel when it was passed in 30% below its $200,000 quote.
Undoubtedly, the biggest bargain of the night was Cyril Power’s pristine The Tube Station c1935 (Lot 14 ). Rare, because it retained its original, vivid colour, the linocut was hammered at an amazing $32,000, half the price realised by D+H in 2012 and a third of the $90,762 set at Bonham’s April sale in London. Buyer fatigue may be to blame, as it otherwises seems inexplicable.
In contrast, Collingwood Lane c1939 by Danila Vassilieff (Lot 61 ) exceeded its quote when it was fought over by three bidders who finally settled the score at $26,000. Another terrific result was achieved for Joel Elenberg; Profile II (Lot 20 ) captivated two bidders and set the highest price for a marble work by the artist at $180,000, placing it third in his records overall.
In-demand artist Ben Quilty carried the weight of expectation well and did not disappoint. His painting Insignia 3, 2007 delivered a sale of $30,000 in the immediate wake of Tolarno Galleries’ sell-out exhibition where comparable-scaled works were priced at $40,000.
Fellow contemporary artists whose works were well received included Aida Tomescu; Rire Jaune found a new home at $24,000. As did Rick Amor’s Victorian House (Lot 64 ) for $11,000 and his steady advance in the secondary market continued with Riverbank (Lot 65 ) at $12,000. John Kelly’s watercolours enjoyed the same good fortune with almost identical prices to Amor’s paid for Dobell’s Cow and Upside Down Cow (lots 59 & 60). By contrast, Michael Zavros’ very fine Jumper (lot 27) remained immobile and Bill Henson’s cityscape subject, Untitled, 1996/97 (Lot 80 ) stayed in the shadows.
Happily for the Public Trustees, they were able to recoup some of the funds spent fraudulently on art by Joel Morehu-Barlow when Study for The Terrace, Variations on a Theme 1994 by Jeffrey Smart (Lot 24 ) was bought by a telephone bidder for $110,000 against $140,000 estimate. Denis Savill snapped up the second painting, Tim Storrier’s Starlight over the Plain (Night Coals) under its quote, but still a hefty $125,000 (Lot 25 ) . Seven lots later Savill had to crunch his phone opposition to secure Shoalhaven with Black Cockatoo and Swan taking it above estimate at $130,000, a top level price for a work of this size and series.
Addressing the issue of why there were twelve unsold high calibre works by lot 40, it’s apparent that a range of factors were at play. Ambitious quoting is a common pitfall - I am pointing the finger at you Sleeping Nude by Arthur Boyd at $350,000 plus (Lot 18 ); a painting where critics’ and collectors’ views diverge. Next were works that have reduced aesthetic appeal, usually in spite of the series’ significance; bidders didn’t warm to the beige palette of Brett Whiteley’s Sydney Winter passing it in at $170k (Lot 19 ). Then there is the dodgy phone connection situation. Wagering on reliable telecommunications meant the bidder on Albert Tucker’s Gamblers and Parrots (Lot 30 ) risked his bet. Often it’s just simply all in the timing; when Sidney Nolan’s Leda and the Swan (Lot 34 ) was offered in November last year it was overlooked. On this occasion it flew into the limelight fetching an above the odds price of $55,000. Sometimes you just can’t pick it !
Last mention, given the undulating patterns of the auction, goes to the aptly named and quirky Bananas by Arthur Streeton (Lot 92 ) which appealed at its top quote of $15,000.
