Menzies Art Brands

When Australian art scene icon Brett Whiteley (1939-1992) arrived in February 1960 in Rome on an Italian Government Travelling Scholarship, he was not quite 21 years old.

After brief stints in Paris – where he met his muse and future wife Wendy – and Florence, in November that year they moved to London and the now legendary Ladbroke Grove of Notting Hill.

Australian art auction house Menzies has a knack for firsts when it comes to major art sales.

It’s 6.30pm Wednesday November 20 Melbourne auction at 1 Darling Street, South Yarra is no exception – with a work by iconic Australian modern artist Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013) entitled The Cable Coils 2000-01 (lot 38), carrying an estimate of $650,000-$850,000 and featuring on the catalogue front cover, making its first auction appearance.

Collectors will have the opportunity to remember Bruce Armstrong, one of Australia’s most important sculptors who died earlier this year aged 67, when Menzies online auction of Prints & Multiples closes from 6.30pm on Wednesday August 28.

His bronze sculpture entitled The Cricketer, conceived in 1987 and cast in 2021, (lot 14) is among more than 80 works on offer from some of Australia’s best artists.

Always seen as one of Australia’s leading modern 20^th century artists, Sidney Nolan (1917-1992) became a household name through his stunning depictions of infamous outlaw and bushranger Ned Kelly who, dressed in his legendary iron suit of armour for a shootout with Victorian police at Glenrowan, was hanged aged 25 on November 11, 1880 at Old Melbourne Gaol.

With no million-dollar estimate paintings at its March 27 Melbourne auction, Menzies is relying on the pulling power of iconic Australian artists Charles Blackman (1928-2018) and Brett Whiteley (1939-1992) to bring buyers through the doors of its recently renovated 1 Darling Street, South Yarra premises for a 6.30pm start.

Blackman’s Day Dream 1958 (lot 33) carries the auction’s highest catalogue estimate of $200,000-$250,000.

Menzies chairman and head of private sales Cameron Menzies is chuffed to be celebrating the company’s 25 years in the art auction industry and its 100^th sale by auctioning 36 paintings belonging to the ANZ Bank collection – given that, as one of the big four Australian banks, it has always been such a staunch presence in its business aspirations.

“These paintings are representative of its Australia-wide and international collection which numbers several hundred works,” he said.

Ten Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) pottery pieces and prints by some of Australia’s best-known artists are part of Menzies timed online Prints & Multiples Sydney auction ending from 6.30pm Wednesday August 30 at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington.

While there are several high-priced items among the 110 lots, many are estimated for only a few thousand dollars and will no doubt appeal to first time auction goers looking to buy a work by a well-known artist.

Leading Australian landscape artist Fred Williams (1927-1982) was fascinated with a “billabong” in the Melbourne suburb of Kew and during the mid-1970s used it as the basis for his Kew Billabong series – numbering more than 30 paintings.  

Describing it as “splendid” but noting that the place was in fact “just a rubbish dump of all things”, he admitted to using a rubber tyre in his painting as a motif (first ever) and found it a great place to work.

Several Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013) paintings feature among works by Australia’s top artists in what are undoubted drawcards for Menzies forthcoming art auction from 6.30pm Wednesday March 29 at 1 Darling Street, South Yarra.

The highest estimate work is Bus by the Tiber 1977-78 (lot 18), an oil on canvas that first appeared in 1980 in Rudy Komon Art Gallery in Sydney and carries a $600,000-$700,000 catalogue estimate.

Several Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013) paintings feature among works by Australia’s top artists in what undoubted drawcards for Menzies forthcoming art auction from 6.30pm Wednesday March 29 at 1 Darling Street, South Yarra.

The highest estimate work is Bus by the Tiber 1977-78 (lot 18), an oil on canvas that first appeared in 1980 in Rudy Komon Art Gallery in Sydney and carries a $600,000-$700,000 catalogue estimate.