Melbourne auction collections icing on cake for buyers

Collections by two stalwarts of Melbourne’s art and fashion scene – the late Claude Ullin and Sally Robertson (nee Bloomfield) will be part of Gibson’s Auctions forthcoming Interiors auction from 11am Sunday March 6 at 885-889 High Street, Armadale.

Founder of the Gallery Art Naïve and mayor on several occasions of Stonnington City, Claude Ullin was born in 1937 in Milan, the descendant of German Jewish art collectors.

Although the family built a substantial art collection, it was stolen, abandoned or subject to forced sale when they sought refuge during World War II in Australia.

In the 1970s, Claude launched a successful creative advertising agency Higgins Ullin Advertising (later Ullin & Partners) before his passion for art saw establishment of the gallery from his Spanish Revival home in Punt Road, South Yarra – numbering international buyers (including singer/songwriter Billy Joel and his wife Christine Brinkley) among his clients.

A solid contributor to the Australian art scene, Claude later opened High on Art Gallery in Armadale, which specialised in Indigenous art, and funded the Lyrica Opera Company of Melbourne.

For his efforts in promoting the arts and in local government, in 2017 Claude was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

The paintings in the auction include many of his favourites such as Lorna Chick’s (1922-2007) Mount Buffalo (lot 281), Anne Graham’s Diamond Bay, Sorrento 1977, (lot 239) Henri Bastin’s (1896-1979) Northern District WS Australia 1978 (lot 264) and Samuel Byrne’s (1883-1978) Paddy Dumaoo’s Beer A Grade Makers The Minder’s Parade, Thackaringa 1886 (lot 269).

Sally Robertson’s collection spans three centuries assembled by ancestors rubber plantation owner Arthur Bloomfield, wealthy pastoralist William Taylor, Sir John and Lady Bloomfield (nee Taylor) and parents Peter and Julia Bloomfield.

Her father was a well-known Melbourne interior designer who, after meeting his wife Julia Baker overseas, moved back to Australia where he managed famous furniture designer Grant Featherstone’s business Featherstone Interiors in Melbourne’s Lonsdale Street before opening a design business with colleague Bill Snell.

Julia, who also was involved in the interior business, later opened one of Melbourne’s first homeware stores called Pfiaff in Mount Eliza.

Following in her parent’s footsteps, Sally Bloomfield started an interior design career with Sue Carr at Inarc Design before travelling to Europe and London where she worked at Designers Guild in Kings Road.

On her return to Australia, Sally moved into the fashion world eventually becoming part of fashion advertising and PR company Style Council.

She eventually married nightclub owner Ian Robertson and they bought South Yarra’s Albany Hotel, which they extensively renovated and from where many of the auction’s mid-century pieces originate.

At the same time the couple took on the enormous project of converting Melbourne GPO’s level 2 to three dining areas and a nightclub once it was no longer used as a post office.

In 2012, Sally and Ian sold the Albany Hotel and moved to Bali where they planned to build their dream hotel.

Four years later, halfway through its construction, Ian unexpectedly died leaving Sally to complete the project on her own. As a probably much needed distraction, in 2017 Sally agreed to be part of season four of the Real Housewives of Melbourne.

Her collection includes a Grant Featherstone (1922-1995) R160 chair (lot 6) and two pairs of George II silver candlesticks by London’s Ebenezer Coker (lots 60 and 62) dating from 1759 to 1768.

An 1820s George IV sterling silver flatware suite comprising about 75 pieces with mixed makers and marks and the Bloomfield crest (lot 78) is another attraction from the collection.

Also in the auction is an early 19^th century Anglo-Colonial Padouk centre table (lot 385), a Ferdinand Priess (1882-1943) bronze entitled German The Torch Dancer circa 1925 (lot 326) and a 20^th century pair of Iranian Tabriz rugs (lot 215) – part of a much wider collection.