Art and wine auction a reflection of Australian luxury after Holocaust horror

Collecting art and wine must have seemed like a luxury to Polish Jew Martin Sachs after the horrors of the World War II German Mauthausen Labour Camp – where he was one of 500 to survive from the 5000 men and boys sent there.

Only 20 at the time he was liberated in May 1945 by United States forces, having already lost his father David at Belzec death camp in 1942 and his mother Hannah at Stutthof concentration camp three years later.

Returning to Poland, in 1948 Martin migrated to Australia where he became a successful builder and developer.

He is still renowned in the Melbourne suburb of Beaumaris for his innovative designs – including the conversion of a chicken farm into a residential court for 40 homes – high rise units in St Kilda and office showrooms in South Melbourne.

Perhaps because of the nightmare of the Holocaust years, Martin was a passionate supporter of many activities including art, wine, cooking and chess.

With wife Valerie, he celebrated and supported artistic creativity and several artists were his friends. Among these were Jewish artist Joel Elenberg (who tragically died of cancer at age 33) and his close friend Brett Whiteley.

With Max Lake, of Lake Folly vineyard in New South Wales Hunter Valley, they formed an interesting quartet – and Martin’s Montalto Avenue, Toorak home, with its vaulted ceilings and huge walls, was the perfect venue for an 8000-bottle wine cellar  and magnificent gallery for the many paintings, drawings and sculptures he collected.

Always keen on worthwhile causes, Martin was happy to support Elenberg during tough times, buying many of his paintings and sculptures during his early years and while he batted cancer.

Martin died recently aged 95 and many of his art works and wine collection will be auctioned in a 357-lot sale by Leski Auctions from 6pm Tuesday March 8 at 727-729 High Street, Armadale.

A significant portion of his art collection has already been gifted to friends and family – and six of his closest allies received 30 dozen vintage wine bottles from the extensive cellar “so they could drink to his memory and the good times they shared”.

A fund also will be established in memory of Martin’s parents for the furtherance of education and research, particularly in the field of chemistry.

Many of the paintings in the auction were purchased during the 1970s and feature household artist names from the period including Brett Whiteley and Joel Elenberg, alongside the likes of William Dobell, Russel Drysdale, Charles Blackman, John Coburn,
Donald Friend and Ian Fairweather.

A watercolour and gouache on paper, Fairweather’s (1891-1974) Chinese Village Landscape (lot 9) – closely associated with Hangchow Canal 1945-47 – carries the highest catalogue  estimate at $80,000-$120,000, while Whiteley’s (1939-1992) Arkie on the balcony, Lavender Bay, October 1978 watercolour on paper is listed at $50,000-$75,000 (lot 63).

There are several Drysdale’s (1912-1981) from which to choose but Figures (lot 8) and Western Desert (lot 23) are typical of his watercolour works.

Elenberg (1948-1980) examples also are quite prolific with two Rubicon examples (lots 34 and 42) of his paintings worth considering and an Untitled marble sculpture (lot 46) also worth a look.

Lot 7 – Nondugl, New Guinea, 1950 – is an interesting Dobell (1899-1970) and lot 10, Outlook down the Bay, a good example of Merric Boyd’s (188-1959) efforts.

John Coburn (1925-2006) also features with Curtain of the Sun - Sydney Opera House (lot 48) and Ray Crooke (1922-2015) with Horsemen at waterhole, North Queensland (lot 51).

Leski Auctions director Charles Leski said 100 of the 250 lots of wine being auctioned came from the Hunter Valley – unusual he claimed to find so much wine from this region in a Victorian collection, probably because of Martin’s close links to Max Lake.

Lots 207, 221 and 257 are typical of the Lake Folly selection he collected.