Submitted by aarAdmin on Fri, 04/23/2021 - 00:00
COVID-19 does not seemed to have dented the confidence of art lovers and investors judging by the results of Deutscher and Hackett’s first major auction for 2021 when 80 works were earmarked to go under the hammer for an impressive $9,580,950 including buyers’ premium on Wednesday April 21 – led by a record auction price for the artist of $2.5 million ($3,068,182 IBP) for Arthur Streeton’s (1867-1943) The Grand Canal, 1908 (lot 21).
The Melbourne sale of Important Australian & International Fine Art sold more than 89 per cent by lot and 131 per cent by value and followed hard on the heels of Smith & Singer’s equally noteworthy Sydney auction the night before.
Pandemics might come and go (albeit with an enormous sickness and death toll) but quality art appears to be here to stay with buyers never shy about putting their hands in their pockets.
There was palpable relief at a return to live auctions after last year’s extended COVID lockdown – although an anonymous internet bidder was the successful purchaser for what is recognised as the prime example of Streeton’s Venice paintings.
Purchased in 1914 by Arthur Sydney Baillieu, the work had remained in the family for more than a century and was only seen publicly in 2020 at Streeton’s marvellous retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Several other artists achieved auction records at the Deutscher and Hackett sale, many the subject of bidding wars including Bertram Mackennal’s (1863-1931) colonial bronze sculpture Circe c1902-04 (lot 20) which changed hands for $515,455 – more than twice its upper catalogue estimate.
Clarice Beckett (1887-1935) was another record breaker with View Across the Yarra c1931 (lot 25) more than tripling the catalogue estimate at $184,091 and the previous lot Bathing Boxes, Beaumaris c1932 almost as impressive at $141,136.
Cressida Campbell’s woodblock print Japanese Print and Clivias 2013 (lot 11) left buyers gasping when it was knocked down for $230,000 ($282,273 IBP) – almost twice the catalogue estimate – while auction houses always know they are safe with works by Fred Williams (1927-1982).
Lysterfield, 1965 (lot 15) was no exception changing hands for $625,909, while Jeffrey Smart’s (1921-2013) Diversion for Siena, 2002-03 (lot 18) proved almost as popular at $613,636.
Another Australian artist Tim Storrier continued his auction success with $270,000 being paid for The Lament of the Stream, 2000 (lot 45).
Two works by popular 60s American Pop Art icon Alex Katz – Self Portrait, c1977 (lot 6) and Ada with Headband and Lips, c1968 (lot 7) – were hotly contested to eventually sell well above their top estimates at respectively $153,409 and $165,682.
