Submitted by aarAdmin on Fri, 07/17/2020 - 00:00
Coronavirus lockdowns in Melbourne have been no deterrent for the establishment of new artist records at online auctions – at least that is what Deutscher and Hackett found on July 15 when Fred Williams’ Hummock in a Landscape 1967 (lot 7) sold for $2,822,726 including buyer’s premium.
The auction house was all geared up for limited buyer numbers in its rooms when, with rising community virus numbers, the second lockdown was introduced a week before the scheduled auction date – once more throwing business plans into chaos.
The Williams result was a massive new auction record for one of Australia’s leading abstract landscape painters, who died in 1982 aged only 55, and well above the $1.4 million to $1.8 million estimate for the work featured on the catalogue front cover.
The apparent simplicity of this and similar compositions he painted at the time, showing his arrival as a great painter, became a recurring feature for Williams during the 1960s.
With a healthy 95 per cent by volume (only seven paintings did not sell on the night) and 143 per cent by value sale for the 129 works on offer, no one would blame Deutscher and Hackett if it permanently switched its auctions to online only once the COVID-19 pandemic threat has passed.
Landscapes seemed to be the order of the day – all selling for several times their estimate – with A Summer’s Day c1907 (lot 14) by traditional landscaper Hans Heysen (1877-1968), leading the charge at $601,603 on a $150,000-$200,000 estimate.
The painting was acclaimed as “the landscape of the year” when exhibited the following year in Sydney and painted shortly before his spectacular subsequent successes.
Dandenong Landscape 1925 (lot 15) by impressionist Tom Roberts (1856-1931) was next, for a spectacular $355,909 on a $140,000-$180,000 estimate.
This was painted at a time when both he and Arthur Streeton had altered their focus from Heidelberg to the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne. Roberts had returned two years earlier from many years in England, and with his wife Lillie settled at Kallista in the Dandenongs – while Streeton had bought land at nearby Olinda.
Another big name, Eugene von Guerard (1811-1901), filled fourth spot with Abendlandschaft von der Insel Capri 1846 (evening Landscape from the Isle of Capri) (lot 10), changing hands for $300,682 on a $150,000-$200,000 estimate.
Exhibited that year in Dusseldorf, the enchanted island in Italy’s Bay of Naples was a magnet for artists, writers and grand tourers of the era and von Guerard has beautifully captured its magical appeal.
Another great success was Young Girl Etaples c1892 (lot 11), bringing $270,000 on a $30,000-$50,000 estimate. It was painted by Iso (Isobel) Rae (1860-1940) who studied between 1878 and 1887 at the National Gallery School in Melbourne before travelling to France, as part of a wave of young students, to further her artistic education.
The painting dates from her first visit to Etaples, a fishing village in Brittany on France’s northern coast and site of a popular artists colony, and remained there until 1932 with her sister Alison.
Two Rover Thomas paintings, owned by internationally famous Australian collectors Peter and Renate Nahum, brought pleasing results for the vendors – along with Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s Merne (Everything) 1996 (lot 84) that changed hands for $337,500 on a $200,000 upper estimate.
Lot 77, Tributaries of the Ord River 1991, sold for $233,182 (well within its estimate range) while lot 76, Baragu Country 1989, more than doubled its lower $50,000 estimate to bring $122,727.
The three paintings were part of a 53-strong Aboriginal art collection, spanning more than 20 years, auctioned by the Nahums.
A former Sotheby’s London stalwart who in 1971 established its Victorian Painting Department, Peter went on to open his own gallery (which later became known as the Peter Nahum At The Leicester Galleries) in 1984.
At the same time, he was a regular on the BBC’s popular Antiques Roadshow for more than 20 years as well as producing an extensive range of scholarly publications and exhibition catalogues on Victorian and 20th century British art, which in 2012 was donated to the Paul Mellon Centre Library.
Two bark works by John Mawurndjul (lot 78, Ngarrt – Short Necked Turtle 1989) and lot 79, Ngalyod The Rainbow Serpent in the Form of Yinarnga (Kangaroo) 1989, also performed well, selling for more than double their respective estimates at $116,591 and $85,909.
