Submitted by aarAdmin on Fri, 06/30/2023 - 00:00
While modern Australian landscape artist Fred Williams (1927-1982) dominated proceedings on June 28 at Menzies Sydney art auction with three of his works among the sale’s top 10 prices, he also set a new auction record for one of his works on paper when Upwey Landscape No. 1, 1970 (lot 21) sold for $147,272 including buyer’s premium against a pre-sale estimate of $60,000-$80,000.
Williams Kew Billabong, 1976 (lot 26) took top billing with a $1,227,273 price tag to the lucky buyer, a painting recognised as the epitome of a series of 30 works at a site that the artist described as “splendid” but nevertheless was in fact “just a rubbish dump of all things”.
The colourful work had the added distinction of not being seen in public for 45 years after the vendor had purchased the painting from a 1978 Adelaide exhibition.
You Yangs Landscape (Second Series), 1966 (lot 24), a bid by a young artist to capture the peculiarities of the Australian landscape, was the other Williams painting to feature among the top paintings and changed hands for $220,909.
The auction totalled $4,653,511 including buyers’ premiums with 79 per cent of the 109 paintings on offer selling by lot and 112 per cent by value.
Jeffrey Smart’s (1921-2013) The Bather, Bondi, 1962 (lot 25) sold for a solid $441,818 – once again demonstrating the artist’s continuing auction popularity.
Renowned for his trademark and precisely detailed Italian highway and transport scenes, reflecting the many years he spent in the country, this eye-catching subject at Sydney’s iconic surf beach makes for compelling viewing.
Lake Alexandria and Dirt Roads, 1997-98 (lot 27) by John Olsen (1928-2023) brought $276,136 – a testament to his fascination with remote locations including the South Australian lake that takes most of its flow from the Murray River.
William Robinson’s Rainforest with Botan Creek, 1989 (lot 30), a great illustration of his unique ability to capture the beauty and luxuriance of Australian rainforests, was a pleasing $135,000 – while Arthur Boyd’s (1920-1999) Pulpit Rock with Reflection, c1990 (lot 22), one of several of his works in the auction, sold for $122,727.
John Kelly’s Blocking In, 2001 (lot 14) brought $110,454, while Joel Elenberg (1948-1980) and John Perceval (1923-2000) rounded out the top 10 with their respective works – a Carrara marble, black marble and granite sculpture entitled Family 1, c1973 (lot 29) at $92,045 and an oil on canvas painting called Tug Boat Smoke (lot 32) at $85,909.
The Menzies sale also achieved record prices for works by contemporary Australian artists Robert Owen (lot 38 – Afternoon Glow #2 The Text of Light Series 2003), that sold for $54,000, and Zhong Chen (lot 107 – 8 Juliets VI 2002) which brought $23,318.
