Covid-19 social distancing measures in place meant a limited but most welcome attendance in-room. And luckily gone are the days when this meant limited engagement. Fifty percent of the sale’s top ten lots sold to the internet, headlined with an untitled 1994 work by Emily Kame Kngwarreye (Lot 7 ) for $85,000 (est. $50-70K).
Helpfully, Deutscher and Hackett had reorganised the camera view to encompass the activity at the phone biding table, which showed plenty of action throughout evening, no doubt adding to the impetus to hit buttons and swipe screens.
In an era when – shaking-my-head-in-disbelief – non fungible digital repros or ‘tokens’ (NFTs) of works of art are selling for tens of millions, it was a joy to witness (from afar) real excitement about the physicality of paint on canvas by master practitioners.
‘Rare’ and ‘fresh to the market’ still means something in this context, and the sale had works aplenty to meet these bars, including Rover Thomas’ remarkable Station Hill, Texas Downs, 1991 (Lot 12 ), which encapsulated the painter’s best qualities in its combined drama, formal tension and restraint. It, too, sold to the internet, for $76,000 against a comfortable estimate of $40-60K.
A late career work from 1996, Barragoo (Lake Gregory) (Lot 16 ), sold to the ether for its low end of $80,000, while an early work on board from 1985, Yurling (Lot 40 ), drew quick-fire bids to eclipse its high end and go the same way for $64,000 (est. $30-40K).
The supremely elegant and masterful offering by Yukultji Napangati saw fierce competition online, on the phones and in the room. Sandhills Surrounding the Rockhole site of Yunala, 2005 (Lot 31 ) finally settled at its high end of $70,000 to sell to the internet.
Other contemporary works made up the top ten, with an A/P outside the edition of 30 from Tracy Moffatt’s iconic series Something More, 1989 (Lot 19 ) moving deftly from opening bid to just above its low end to sell to a participant on the phone for $220,000, a new record price for the series of nine images. And about time, too. The last record of $190,000 was set in 2004.
Earlier, Guyi Rirrkyan (Fish and Rocks), 1990 (Lot 9 ) – an example of Lin Onus’ highly sought-after, mind-bending multidimensional spatial interplays – worked its spell, achieving a mid-estimate hammer of $180,000.
These works are, almost, a sure-sell these days, and the auction opened with a charming smaller and more refined example that drew bids from all quarters, including the auctioneer’s book; Frog at Bullita Creek, 1996 (Lot 1 ) leapt past its high end of $25K to make $35,000.
The vibrantly individual talent of Ginger Riley Minduwalawala was represented by a busy Limmen Bight Country - The Wet, 1992 (Lot 10 ), which was shored up by absentee bids until the phones eclipsed the book, selling for $65,000 (est. $30-50K); the best performance for the artist over the past decade.
Outside the top ten there were other star turns, with Bill Whiskey’s Rockholes Near the Olgas, 2008 (Lot 4 ), setting a new record for a work on this scale/format, at $48,000 (est. $25-35K).
A work from Michael Cook’s 2012 clever and ever-more timely series on colonial myth-making worked its magic, with Civilised #13 (Lot 17 ) drawing frenzied activity from all quarters, finally settling at $46,000, more than double its high end (est. $15-20K). This large scale limited edition (plus proofs) inkjet on canvas version first appeared in Deutscher and Hackett’s sale of the Corrigan collection of Indigenous photography, where an editioned work (3/3) made $26,000 (hammer). And that was in December last year …
Early barks have had patchy results over the years, especially when mixed in with a strong contemporary core; those from eastern Arnhem Land in particular. Not so this sale. The five lots hailing from the Yirrkala region from the Estate of Gary Bradley all sold well, mostly above estimate (80%).
Malawan Marika’s painted recollection of a visit to Sydney in 1962 (Lot 20 ), replete with ‘devil-devil’ men in hats, secured a solid tussle to make $37,000 (est. $20-30K).
Mithinari Gurruwiwi was represented by a beautifully fluid Creation Story from the 1960s (Lot 23 ). One of the finest works by the master to appear in a decade, it kept auctioneer Scott Livesey busy. After a final failed top bid by an in-room hopeful, it sold to the phones for $17,000 (est. $5-7K), setting a new record price.
Central and Western Arnhem Land works, in contrast, have historically usually drawn broader general appeal, mainly due to the approachability and predominance of figuration. The sale featured two such works, by artists of widely different standing, and whose results demonstrated an interesting market divide.
John Mawurndjurl, whose refined abstract paintings have become his imprimatur, was represented by two offerings, neither of which sold: a Ngalyod Rainbow Serpent from 2004 (lot 8, est. $80-120K) and a superb and elegant abstract representation of the snake’s domicile, Milmilngkan from 2009 (lot 2, $35-45K). On the other hand, James Iyuna’s Rainbow Serpent, 1984 (Lot 25 ), which actually depicts three figures intertwined, set a new record for the artist at $10,000 (est. $8-10K).
One can’t have an Aboriginal art sale without an early Papunya board … and while Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula’s 1972 water dreamings are, arguably, his masterworks, he rarely fails to create imagery without strong compositions supporting narrative elements. On this note, Dingo Dreaming, 1973 (Lot 28 ) stood the test, and pulled in bids beyond the high end to make $40,000 (est. $25-35K). Six years ago, the same work made $19K at Bonham’s. This new outing set a new record price for the artist’s non 1972 works on this scale.
And from the core of contemporary APY/NPY works late in the sale, Angkaliya Curtis’ charming Cave Hill, 2010 (Lot 51 ), replete with a myriad of cavorting animals, was chased to $16,500 against expectations of $6-8K, setting an inspiring new benchmark for the artist (previous high $3,200).
The Deutscher and Hackett sale totalled $2,158,200 (hammer) and $2,648,700 with buyer premium, considerably more than the Sotheby’s New York sale of the same size in December last year, which brought in just under AUD $1.4 million (incl. BP) with clearances at 60%. Deutscher and Hackett’s return to the game is both timely and welcome.
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Other works with notable results:
Lot 18 – Brook Andrew, Sexy and Dangerous II, 1997 – $42,000 (est. $20-30K); previous high $24,000 (2015)
Lot 22 – Larrtjanga Ganambarr, Gulyabunaramiri, 1960s – $13,000 (est. $5-7K); second top price for the artist
Lot 26 – Naminapu Maymuru-White, Milky Way - Larrakitj, 2007 – $13,000 (est. $5-7K; equal top record for 3D work (last in 2017)
Lot 30 – Doreeen Nakamarra Reid, Marrapinti, 2006 – $42,000 (est. $20-30K); previous high $25,000 (2013)
Lot 34 – George Tjungurrayi, Mamultjulkunga, 1999 – $48,000 (est. $30-40K); new record for this format, last sold $13,000 (2013)
Lot 41 – Jan Billycan, Kirriwirri, 2007 – $17,000 (est. $10-15K); new record for this format/scale
Lot 44 – Sylvia Ken, Seven Sisters, 2011 – $18,000 (est. $8-12K); new record for the artist; previous high $8,000 (2020)
Lot 47 – Makinti Napanangka, Lupulnga, 2011 – $6,500 (est. $4-6K); equal top price for a work on this scale; previous 2011
All prices listed are hammer results, unless annotated with BP (buyer premium).
