Submitted by aarAdmin on Fri, 03/19/2021 - 00:00
When historians sit down at some future date to examine the impact that COVID-19 had on the world, they hopefully might find time to make a fleeting reference to the art auction industry.
While the colossal number of cases and massive loss of life is tragic in anyone’s language, the value attached to works of art during this period, both in Australia and overseas, just continues to climb.
This despite the fact that buyers ability to physically attend auctions has been either severely limited or non-existent – and online purchases have become the latest trend.
Such behaviour was once again present at Deutscher and Hackett’s Melbourne Aboriginal Art auction on March 17 with total sales exceeding $2.648 million including buyers premiums for the 54 lots on offer – more than the auction’s high estimate.
Half of the top 10 sales went to internet buyers, with COVID-19 social distancing measures meaning a limited but welcome room attendance.
Popular Aboriginal artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910-1996) streaked the field with Anooralya (Wild Yam) 1989 (lot 6) for $429,545 – much greater than the high catalogue estimate – and then promptly followed it up with $300,682 for Early Summer Flowers 1990 (lot 11).
Lin Onus (1948-1996) was another strong performer with $220,909 being paid for Guyi Rirrkyan (Fish and Rocks) 1990 (lot 9).
Of both Yorta Yorta and Scottish descent, Onus was famous for using a hybrid style that integrated Indigenous spirituality and narrative with Western representational systems.
Early bark paintings were another favourite with seven examples (lots 20-24) all belonging to Gary Bradley’s estate.
Lot 20, Marika Mawalan’s (c1908-1967) Sydney c1962, brought the most ($45,409) but the following three lots also performed well with respective $17,182, $15,955 and $20,864 returns.
Rover Thomas’s (c1926-1998) Barragoo (Lake Gregory) 1996 (lot 16) was well within catalogue estimate range at $98,182 and Freddie Timms (1946-2017) likewise with both Jack Yard 2005 (lot 15) for $33,136 and Gillfoil 1999 (lot 14) for $13,500.
Three non-Indigenous artists were present in the sale with Trace Moffatt’s Something More 1989 (lot 19) – a full suite of six Cibachrome and three gelatin silver photographs – bringing a more than creditable $270,000, Michael Cook’s CIVILIZED #13,2012 inkjet print from the series CIVILIZED (lot 17) $56,455 and Brook Andrew’s Sexy and Dangerous II 1997 (lot 18) $51,545, both well above catalogue estimates.
