Sitting at the top of D+H’s Christmas tree was Fred Williams’ Evening Sky, Upwey 1965 (Lot 14 ) which takes the honour of being the most expensive painting sold at auction this year at $1,380,000 IBP. (The only other work to surpass the magic million dollar mark in 2009 was Brett Whiteley’s The Sunrise, Japanese; Good Morning 1988.) Williams’ painting was hotly contested by bidders in the room, on the phones and via commission bids. At the pointy end of the battle it was Jon Dwyer and Denis Savill thrashing it out, with victory ultimately wrested by Dwyer, for an anonymous client. It’s the highest price achieved for Williams since the boom days of 2007 and adds yet another to the artist’s growing league of million dollar plus (MM+) paintings, now totalling six. Williams’ super status along with Whiteley and Brack in the MM+ triumvirate looks to be even more impenetrable.
The sale kicked off as a full house peppered with new faces, an encouraging sign, and although the first lot, Ex de Medici’s Terra…2005 (Lot 1 ) passed in, it was a mere glitch in what turned out to be a very successful sale.
The first knockout result was Yvonne Audette’s Construction in Colour 1958 (Lot 5 ) which outstripped its estimate, to achieve $28,800 IBP. Interest in Ben Quilty’s Skull Rorschach #4, Diptych 2008 (Lot 6 ) led to a sale price of $15,600 IBP and a bidding duel on Shaun Gladwell’s Apology to Roadkill 2007 (Lot 7 ) set a record of $18,000 IBP for the artist’s photographic works at auction.
Philip Wolfhagen continued to be popular, his painting Second Lucid Interval 2003 (Lot 8 ) eliciting numerous bids taking the price to an auction record of $45,600 IBP. Peter Booth’s (Figure with Bandaged Head) 2004 (Lot 13 ) achieved a solid price of $96,000 IBP while Tim Storrier’s The Night Fire 1995 (Lot 16 ) broke through its upper estimate of $100,000 to sell for $150,000 – the fifth highest auction price for the artist.
While there have already been 120 works by James Gleeson offered this year, (a threefold increase on previous years inflated by the artist’s Estate sale in Sydney earlier in the year), his market is by no means sated! A flurry of bids greeted the Gleeson paintings (Lots 44-47) and with only one unsold, the spoils were snapped up by one committed bidder at close to their upper estimate or beyond.
Disappointments amongst the higher priced lots were thin on the ground; John Olsen’s Clarendon Landscape with Muse 1981 (Lot 17 ) was passed in at $95,000 well below its $130,000-160,000 estimate. However this was counteracted to some extent by the healthy result of $36,000 IBP for his handsome tapestry, Yellow Summer 1966 (Lot 23 )
Perhaps surprisingly given Sotheby’s Monday night success with Jeffrey Smart, the artist’s work First Study on the Wharf, Livorno 2001 (Lot 18 ) failed to attract any interest, passing in at $95,000 against a $120,000-150,000 estimate. The Angas Memorial Bronze Reliefs c1915 by William Robert Colton (Lot 29 ) also did not find a home.
Amongst the steals of the night were Bronwyn Oliver’s Disc II 1999 (Lot 9 ) which sold for $48,000 IBP, which was 30% less than its lower estimate. Likewise John Firth-Smith’s Salmon (Red Lead) 1988 (Lot 22 ) sold under the hammer for $17,000 which was almost 50% below low estimate of $30,000-40,000.
Being the last auction house to offer their wares during the November season is often a rather tentative proposition, but this time D+H reaped the benefits of going last. Their sale appeared to be a case of reduced vendor expectations meeting a palpable upswing in collector confidence. Let’s bring on 2010!
