Auction Results

Provenance all important in Australian art auction

When auction buyers know a painting’s provenance, it invariably adds to its sale value.

And so it proved for popular Sydney collectors Colin and Elizabeth Laverty’s collection of Aboriginal and contemporary art, sold by Deutscher and Hackett on December 13 in Melbourne, which at $421,455 including buyers’ premiums was a 152 per cent by value and 98 per cent by volume return for the 47 paintings and sculptures involved.

Duetscher and Hackett this year had...

Namatjira's top billing in South Australian art auction

Paintings by Hermannsburg School Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira (1902-1959) occupied the first two spots in South Australian-based Elder Fine Art’s December 4 art auction that also featured many other well-known Australian painters.

Finke River Gums, Central Australia (lot 26) was knocked down for $57,500 ($67,620 including buyer’s premium) while Ghost Gums, Jay Creek – MacDonnell Ranges (lot 27) sold for $57,624.

Another of his works...

Gascoigne sets Australian artist auction record

Who would have thought a bunch of sawn wooden soft drink crate pieces could be worth $1 million?

Probably no one, except in the hands of masterly Australian artist Rosalie Gascoigne (1917-1999) they take on another life – and, once the bidding started at Deutscher and Hackett’s Melbourne December 1 auction, there was no stopping the price escalation.

The work, entitled Beaten Track, 1992 (lot 6), was finally knocked down to a determined phone bidder...

Royal Worcester sweeps Australian Spring auction field

Renowned Royal Worcester artists Charles Baldwyn, Harry Davis and John and Harry Stinton featured prominently in Melbourne-based Gibson’s Auctions November Spring Auction Series when several of their creations filled the top 10 sale spots.

One of Baldwyn’s 1899 ewers (lot 222) brought the highest price of $9500 against a catalogue estimate of $4000-$6000 – and an 1892 covered urn vase (lot 220) $5500 – while Davis’s 1906 scenic vase (lot 230) sold for $6600, closely...

1930 penny proves popular at Australian stamp and coin auction

Always surrounded by mystery, an enthusiastic buyer paid $40,120 (including buyer’s premium) against a $25,000 catalogue estimate for a 1930 penny in very fine condition (lot 3142) at Melbourne-based Abacus Auctions three-day November Stamps, Postal History and Postcards, Coins and Banknotes, Sporting Memorabilia and Collectables sale.

Pennies from that year were not officially struck at the Melbourne Mint – possibly because it coincided with the start of the Great...

World art auction records for iconic Australian businesswoman

If iconic Australian businesswoman Millie Phillips were still alive, she no doubt would not have been surprised that two of the paintings in her auction collection would achieve world auction records for the artists involved.

And so it proved on November 23 at Menzies Sydney sale when Lloyd Rees’s Sydney – The Source 1973 (lot 17) and Yosl Bergner’s The Last Supper 1982 sold respectively for $564,545 and $79,773 including buyers’ premiums – as most...

Strong result in Australian decorative arts auction

A comprehensive mix of items appealed to auction goers at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions two-day decorative arts and collectables sale on November 5 and 6 led by a stunning pair of antique Chinese 17th century late Ming or early Qing Dynasty ceramic architectural panels with green and gold dragon decorations (lot 348) that sold for $14,500 on a $4500-$5500 catalogue estimate.

In second spot was a vintage Bengal tiger skin rug from the firm Vaningen &...

Namatjira watercolour paintings great for the Australian auction scene

The late John Hart’s (1937-2014) collection of Aboriginal watercolour paintings from the Northern Territory’s Hermannsburg Mission west of Alice Springs drew plenty of timed online auction interest on October 18 at Deutscher and Hackett in Melbourne – led by the mission’s famous son, highly talented Albert Namatjira (1902-1959), widely considered one of the greatest and most influential of Australian artists.

His work entitled Ghost Gum and Central Australian Landscape (lot 5...

Australian auction prints prove popular with buyers

When it comes to some of Australia’s and the world’s best artists, prints and lithographs seem to be just as popular as major oil paintings.

And so it proved for Menzies Prints & Multiples Sydney auction on October 12 when several Australian auction records for artists were set during the bidding and 84 per cent of the 70 works on offer were sold.

The top two lots in the sale were taken out by 20th century American contemporary artist Andy Warhol...

Australian single owner photography collection an auction performer

Single owner collections often do well at auction but, given the niche market art photography occupies in Australia, Deutscher and Hackett’s October 11 62 per cent sale result by volume of Australian photographer the late Joyce Evan’s collection of fellow colleagues works was undoubtedly pleasing.

Evans died in 2019 aged 90 but during her life was dedicated to all aspects of photography including portraiture, landscape and documentaries and was always seeking to...

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