Many of Friend’s small works on paper usually sell in the low thousands as did ‘Ceylon’, a wonderful surrealist work which on estimates of $2,500 to $3,500 sold for $2,640 incl. buyer’s premium at Lawson-Menzies on 11th August this year.
Likewise, ‘Weligama, Ceylon’, of a similar size at 34.5 x 50 cm, sold at a Leonard Joel Auction on 21st November 2010 for $3,120 incl. b.p.
The rather colourful and more appealing ‘Street Market, Ceylon’, again a comparable work, achieved a more respectable $6,600 incl. b.p. at Deutscher + Hackett on 28th April 2010.
With prices of these small works on paper averaging around $4,000 incl. b.p., it is indeed surprising when a work sells for $13,200 incl. b.p. as did ‘By Lake Kandy’ on 28 August at Leonard Joel’s in Melbourne. It was certainly realistically estimated at $2,500 to $3,500.
However, according to Briar Williams, head of art at Joel’s, the two very enthusiastic phone bidders were Sri Lankan and both from the local Kandy area. The gloves came off for a very serious battle to secure the work.
Lake Kandy is one of the most beautiful parts of Sri Lanka, and this painting captures the town’s timeless appeal. Even if we here in Australia sometimes fail to recognise Friend’s sojourn in Sri Lanka, there is no doubt that a large number of Sri Lankans have not forgotten him – and are still prepared to compete hard for some of Friend’s best work.
These works from Sri Lanka are somewhat rare in comparison to Friend’s Balinese or Australian scenes. With a wealthy Sri Lankan middle class eager to repatriate these paintings, we may well see more of these fierce bidding battles.
