Australian collectors love exceptional international prints by the right artists, whether they are by artists as diverse as Marc Chagall, Joan Miro or Damien Hirst. Menzies had some excellent examples in this regard, with opportunities to buy in Australia few and far between.
Banksy’s amusing Trolleys (Lot 9 ), number 339 from the edition of 750, was estimated at $15,000-20,000 and clearly excited buyers. The winning bidder managed to spear the work for $24,000, comfortably above its high estimate.
Interest was also strong for an ever popular coloured screenprint by Pop Art king Andy Warhol of Mick Jagger (Lot 31 ), signed by both Jagger and Warhol. Editioned 147/250, the print had its modest estimates of $35,000-45,000 easily superseded by a strong book bid, selling for a healthy $60,000 hammer, or $15,000 above its highest expectations.
On the international market, the dramatic and strong graphic images of sharply dressed men and women in contorted postures by New York based artist Robert Longo are currently achieving exceptional results in international auctions. Gretchen, 16/45 (Lot 118 ) and Mark 22/45 (Lot 119 ), sold to a locally based collector for $10,000 hammer each, on estimates of $6,000-8,000.
It was a similar story for two fine hand signed Pablo Picasso etchings, Couple et Voyageuse, 25/50 (Lot 123 ), with estimates of $6,000-8,000, and Femme se Coiffant 24/50 (Lot 124 ), with modest estimates of $1,500-2,500, both from 1968 and from the same collection. Often fending off international interest and bidding, both of these etchings also went to one local collector, with lot 123 selling for $12,000 hammer and lot 124 settling on $7,000 hammer.
Alexander Calder’s Pyramids, c1970 (Lot 121 ) also excited strong interest: this very colourful lithograph 50/95 sold mid-estimate for $3,200 hammer.
The best works of Tim Storrier never fail to please and find favour with collectors of Australian art. Both The Evening Line (Lot 5 ) and Moonlight Plain (Lot 24 ) found favour with a large number of collectors, and precision bidding followed Storrier’s precision in painting to a tee. The Evening Line sold considerably above expectations of $15,000-25,000 for $32,000 hammer., and Moonlight Plain carrying a wide range of $50,000-70,000 succeeded in selling for $75,000, again above its high estimate.
Demonstrating again that the very best of an artist’s work will attract the most interest, like the two Storriers, three very different paintings by Rick Amor, yet all of equally consistent quality, had their appeal to secondary market collectors confirmed. The first offering, Under the Carpark, 1997 (Lot 11 ), sold mid-range at $17,000 on estimates of $15,000-20,000, while the foreboding The Returning Storm, 1998 (Lot 21 ) had hopes of $30,000-40,000 and sold just below for $28,000.
The most important, impressive and expensive of the Amor paintings on offer was The Waiter, 1997 (Lot 34 ). This stunning canvas is not the only one out there: Menzies sold a smaller version dating from 1995, 107 x 91 cm, in March 2010 for $110,000 hammer. This larger and later 'waiter' from 1997 measuring 130 x 100 cm, was pitched at a not unexpected $150,000-200,000. It sold for a mid-estimate hammer price of $180,000 to a phone bidder of Menzies CEO Justin Turner and is now the second highest auction result for a painting by Rick Amor, just shy of the record price of $185,000 for the monumental The Attic Amphora, 1994, set by Menzies in March 2016.
Early large paintings by Ken Whisson remain sought after and Faces and Boatshape, 1974, (Lot 13 ) with Ray Hughes, Brisbane, provenance, was clearly liked, if not loved. With hopes of $18,000-24,000, it sailed on to achieve $32,000 hammer.
Sidney Nolan was represented with four offerings in the sale, three prominently portraying Ned Kelly and very large landscape. An early Kelly image felt tip pen on paper from 1954 (Lot 15 ) was estimated at $25,000-35,000 and sold for $26,000, while Kelly from 10 years later, 1964 (Lot 54 ), sold for $10,000 more at $36,000 hammer, and mid-range its $32,000-40,000 expectations.
Meanwhile, the much later Kimberley Landscape – Prince Regent River, 1983 (Lot 52 ) with no Ned Kelly but featuring the Prince Regent River in the Kimberley of Western Australia sold for $65,000 hammer on estimates of $50,000-70,000; this is comparable to its last sale at auction with Sotheby’s in April 2010, when it sold for $60,000 hammer.
Another mid-1960s and important Kelly image (Lot 40 ), this time with horse and rifle, and estimated at $450,000-550,000, sold exactly on its low estimate for $450,000 hammer.
What’s in a name? Everything it seems, with lot 18 being the only Arthur Streeton in this sale. This rather dark still life (Lot 18 ) estimated at $20,000-30,000 was enough of an enticement to several keen bidders, as it sold for $42,000 hammer, whilst the charismatic Still Life, 1935 (Lot 19 ) by the much lesser known Eric Smith and estimated similarly at $22,000-28,000 failed to find a buyer on the night.
It is often quite interesting to track the history of sales of a painting, and with online resources like this publication AASD, and international like Artprice and Artnet, this data is ever more valuable as time goes on.
Of course there is much discussion about blockchain and its much hyped abilities in tracking a painting’s journey, however, the secondary market already has its own superb tracking devices which allow detailed analysis at our fingertips.
A case in point was James Clarke Waite’s Melbourne, 1888 (Lot 29 ), which was sold in March 1971 with Christies as Port Melbourne for $2,000. It was offered in a Bonhams and Goodman sale in August 2008 with estimates of $80,000-100,000, but failed to sell. It was offered again in October 2018 at a Sotheby’s Arts & Design sale with expectations of $100,000-150,000, and again was passed in. Offered once more, now at Menzies with substantially reduced hopes of $60,000-80,000, it sold to a book bidder at a no doubt very carefully calculated $52,500 hammer.
A bright, uplifting and large oil painting by John Olsen Evening with Passing Wildflowers, 1981 (Lot 30 ) was estimated broadly at $100,000-150,000, and sold slightly above the low estimate at $110,000 hammer.
A wave of interest in the work of Howard Arkley has swept the auction room this year, with three very important and major works being offered for sale by Sotheby’s Australia, Deutscher + Hackett and Menzies. Menzies set the auction record for the artist with the sale of Deluxe Setting, 1992, sold in June this year for $1.25 million hammer, Sotheby’s hold the second place with the sale of Rococo Rhythm, also 1992, selling it in August 2019 for $900,000 hammer and Deutscher and Hackett in third place with Floriated Address, 1995, sold also in August this year for $600,000 hammer.
This is a considerable re-set on the values of Arkley’s work, as the previous highest price was $530,000 hammer (or less than half the new record) which was set for Mod Style, 1992 by Sotheby’s in 2016.
The more unappealing work in monochrome in this sale was Model Tudor Village, Fitzroy Gardens (Lot 32 ) by the artist, but it had a much more appealing price guide of $100,000-150,000 to compensate. Clearly, there was a highly motivated seller in this instance, as it sold for $75,000 hammer.
An interior scene Room with Pink Chair, 1998 (Lot 38 ) meanwhile had great visual appeal and scale, and on estimates of $350,000-450,000 found favour with a buyer selling for its low estimate of $350,000.
The shift in taste away from more traditional paintings by the likes of the earlier mentioned James Clark Waite is evident if we look at Albert Tucker’s prices over the last 20 to 25 years. It took until November 2017 for a painting by the artist to break through the $1 million sale barrier at auction (which Arkley did in 2019) when Image of Modern Evil 29, 1946, sold for $1.159 million incl. buyer’s premium.
So it is revealing to track Tucker’s Intruder and Parrots, 1965 (Lot 33 ) sale history, and this time the cover lot: it sold at Sotheby’s in April 1996 for $32,000 hammer. Now estimated at $150,000-200,000, it created a very substantial buzz and finally sold to an art consultant in the room for $270,000 hammer. Where’s my crystal ball?
Garry Shead’s very recent painting Romeo and Juliet from 2015 (Lot 47 ), clearly appealed to the romantics among the buyers, as the love for this work did not stop until it had eclipsed its high estimates by $10,000 to sell for $100,000 hammer, on hopes of $70,000-90,000.
Auctioneer Martin Farrah’s comment on a somewhat less romantic painting, Robert Dickerson’s The Wedding Anniversary, 1997 (Lot 58 ) that it appeared not to be their first wedding anniversary, drew plenty of laughter and also plenty of spirited bidding: on estimates of $30,000-40,000, it sold for $48,000.
The Menzies auction achieved $5.004 million incl. buyer’s premium, with 77% sold by lots and 69% sold by value.
