Submitted by aarAdmin on Thu, 03/10/2022 - 00:00
The late Martin Sachs would have been pleased that his good artist friend Joel Elenberg’s (1948-1980) Untitled marble sculpture (lot 46) achieved such a massive result at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions sale on Tuesday March 8.
The sculpture was listed in the catalogue at $15,000-$25,000 but spirited bidding saw it eventually sell for $292,775 including buyer’s premium.
A Polish Jew who migrated to Australia in 1948 and became a successful builder and developer with evidence of his innovative designs still seen around Melbourne, Martin was a passionate follower of many activities including art, wine, cooking and chess.
He had many friends in the art community including Elenberg (who tragically died of cancer aged 33) and Brett Whiteley – and his Toorak home included a cellar housing some 8000 bottle of wine.
Although the top selling items at the auction were paintings, his entire wine collection also was snapped up by keen collectors – many of the lots selling at well above their high estimates.
Ian Fairweather’s (1891-1974) Chinese Village Landscape (lot 9) filled second spot in the top 10 results with a $155,350 result on an $80,000-$120,000 estimate, while Brett Whiteley’s (1939-1992) Arkie on the balcony, Lavender Bay, October 1978 (lot 63) was a credible third at $119,500.
After these three lots, there was a significant gap to the next group of paintings with Roy De Maistre’s (1894-1968) Hyacinths (lot 17) – with its original Eccleston Street, London label intact – the best of these, selling just below its estimate range for $31,070.
Another Whiteley, an artist’s proof lithograph 1/5 entitled Towards Sculpture 2, 1977 (lot 59), sold for $26,290 and Russell Drysdale’s (1912-1981) ink and watercolour entitled Muri Camp, Condobolin (lot 16) – bearing a small typed label with the words “No.7 of a set of twenty drawings published by the Sunday Mirror for Dark Heritage. Sydney, March, 1961” – brought $20,315.
Whiteley’s artist’s proof 2/5 of Towards Sculpture 2 (lot 60) changed hands for $19,120, the same price as the artist’s proof 8/5 (lot 61), while Jane Sutherland’s (1853-1928) Girls picking blackberries (lot 1) was an above estimate $20,315 result.
John Richard Passmore (1904-1984) rounded out the top 10 with his oil on board entitled Bathers (lot 2), painted in England during the 1940s, and from the collection of Reginald Jenkins at whose country house the artist frequently stayed.
