Shining like a beacon for the canny dealer or speculative collector is the 20th century portrait, The Statue (Lot 52 ) which is attributed loosely or even enigmatically to “Australian School”. The painting’s undeniable quality and degree of artistic accomplishment has engendered a frisson of excitement as theories abound on its authorship. Its estimate of $2,000-3,000 is bound to encourage competition and observing which hands go up on auction day will be an interesting sideshow.
For those collectors happy to experience less thrill in their chase, preferring to focus on aesthetic value and an artist’s reputation, then Criss Canning’s Bell Wind and Wallflowers 1989 (Lot 31 ) may appeal. Carrying a price tag $18,000-25,000, it is a solid estimate for a seminal work; this was the painting that clarified the still life genre as the artist’s favoured subject which is similarly favoured by the market. The catalogue cover, Donald Friend’s Figure with Kites (Lot 46 ) estimate $15,000-20,000 might also be a consideration for the low risk takers; the gold leaf works are amongst his most collectable and while belonging to the more prudent side of Friend’s oeuvre, they are considered to be some of the most beautiful.
The opportunity exists for those partial to a modicum of adventure to apply a curatorial touch to their collection; both Garry Shead and Rick Amor are represented in the sale by works from their early years through to their mid career period: Garry Shead’s nascent artistic endeavours from 1966, the painting pair Mt Pleasant Landscape (lots 221 +222, est $2,000-3,000 each) might add historic insight ,depth and interest to a collection when coupled with the pocket-sized but very desirable The Flag 1996 ( lot 91, est $20,000 –25,000). John Brack’s formative influence on Rick Amor is charmingly apparent in Flowerpiece 1973 (lot 70, est $7-9,000). By 1981 when he painted a portrait of his then wife in Tina’s Asleep (lot 182, $2-3,000) Amor’s departure from his mentor’s influence is vividly illustrated by a shift into his now recognizable and characteristic style.
A possible sleeper of the sale may be Emma Minnie Boyd’s Burning Off, Upper Packenham 1899 (lot 24, est $4-6,000), a very fine and delicate watercolour presented in its original frame by an oft overlooked artist.
Lastly, for the bargain hunter lot 40 might prove to be the pick; Painted Cube is another example of David Bromley’s creative inventiveness. Featuring six individual paintings and quoted at $800-1200, it is an alluring estimate when you calculate what you pay for a single Bromley canvas by the square centimeter!
