Works in the database
572
Works with images
186
Works with multiple sales
72

Forthcoming Sales

(Untitled Coastal Scene)

Past Sales

La Perouse, c.1912
Seated Lady
Cremorne 1906

Sales by Medium

Paintings
Sold 171 works for
$510,795
Works on Paper
Sold 154 works for
$71,027
Objects
Sold 1 works for
$354

Where to buy or sell art works by John Samuel Watkins

Auction Houses

Sotheby's
Sold 20 works for
$178,335
Leonard Joel
Sold 90 works for
$106,935
Christies
Sold 28 works for
$87,790

Born in Wolverhampton, England in 1866, Watkins studied at the Royal Academy and after arriving in Sydney in 1882, at the Art Society of New South Wales School. He opened his own art school in Sydney which was still operating in 1934. He was a member of the Royal Art Society of NSW and a Trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

John Watkins is one of the most prolific of the artists listed in our database, with the number of works offered for sale by auction since 1973 of 572, of which 326 (57%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $103,700 for Goldfish (1919) sold by Sotheby's in May 2017. This year 4 works have been offered for sale. Works by John Watkins are held by the Art Gallery of NSW and National Portrait Gallery.

John Samuel Watkins is listed in the following standard biographical references:

  • McCulloch, Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch-Childs. The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 4th Edition, Aus Art Melbourne & The Miegunyah Press, 2006. Page 1005
  • Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 378
  • Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, an online resource for biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators.
  • The Find New Zealand Artists web site: a database of artist names that directs researchers to the rich resources found in New Zealand's libraries, art society exhibition histories and published sources.
  • Australian Prints + Printmaking, a database listing printmaking artists from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region based on the print collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

Artists' Resale Royalty

Could the second and subsequent works by this artist sold after June 9, 2010 for over $1,000 be liable for the Artists' Resale Royalty? More info…

No, ineligible. The artist has been deceased for more than 70 years.

The Australian Art Sales Digest is a database of over 610,000 works by more than 12,000 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, and an additional 36,000 foreign and other artists, offered for sale by auction in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1970s to the present day.

Access to the database is available on either a monthly or annual subscription. During the subscription period you have unlimited access to the site. If you would like to subscribe, please proceed to our .

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