Submitted by aarAdmin on Thu, 06/08/2023 - 00:00
Almost 70 per cent of the part of his indigenous art collection that Melbourne-based artist James Smeaton’s entrusted for a timed online auction on June 6 with Deutscher and Hackett sold, with many of the works achieving above catalogue estimate prices.
The top selling painting was Makinti Napanangka’s Untitled, 2003 (lot 5) which was knocked down for $28,000 against an $18,000-$25,000 estimate.
Willy Tjungurrayi’s Untitled (Tingari), 1981 (lot 21) $19,000 return was within estimate range – while Richard Moketarinja’s Central Australian Landscape watercolour changed hands for a staggering $13,000, given its paltry $600-$800 estimate.
This amount also was paid for Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri’s Untitled, 2005 (lot 1) and for the Warlayirti Suite, 2005 (lot 54) painted by various indigenous artists.
Nyapanyapa Yunupinu’s Untitled (Yidaki), 2013 didgeridoo was another solid return at $10,000 and slightly behind that, each at $9500, were women artists Eubena Nampitjin’s Inyaroo, 2000 (lot 9) and Elizabeth Nyumi Nungyrrayi’s Parwalla, 2002 (lot 12).
Ken Bell Tjampitjinpa’s Love Story, 1974 (lot 33) reached its top estimate of $8000 and rounding out the top lots each at $7500 were Old Tutuma Tjapangati’s Eagle Dreaming, 1975 (lot 46) and Michael Cook’s photograph entitled Ashtray, 2014 (lot 13).
