Bonython was one of the key identities of the 20th century Australian art scene and led a colourful life he recounted in an autobiography entitled “Ladies, Legs and Lemonade”. His charisma, combined with a great eye, ensured commercial success – as a speedway driver, jazz musician and music promoter and art dealer.
In the mid 1960s, Bonython opened a second gallery in Sydney named Hungry Horse Gallery. Over the following decade, Hungry Horse exhibited and developed the careers of young artists such as Brett Whitely and Lawrence Daws.
During this period, Bonython was also responsible for advising collectors and was directly involved in compiling several important collections of Modern Australian Art. Of these the most renown was the Harold E. Mertz Collection of Australian Art. The 150 works purchased on behalf of Mertz were sold by Christies in 2000 and achieved an Australian auction record for a single owner sale.
Bonython engaged Christies to sell some prized works from his own collection in 1991. Significant pieces (that had not been lost in the Ash Wednesday bushfires when Bonython’s Mt Lofty home was razed) achieved much interest and sold well. The key question is whether or not the remnants of his collection will do as well this time round?
The executor of his estate*, commercial gallerist Paul Greenaway, has taken on the responsibility of the sale of works by auction, rather than engaging an auctioneer with experience in marketing and selling single owner sales.
Greenaway has long been a stalwart of the primary Australian art market. Perhaps this explains the retail priced estimates attributed to works in the auction. Converting his clients to buyers at auction may prove difficult; especially when they calculate 22% (incl. GST) premium he is charging on the hammer price of works sold.
Greenaway has selected local auctioneer James Bruce (of Theodore Bruce) to conduct the auction. James Bruce repurchased the Theodore Bruce business from Tim Godman in 2010 and since then has opened rooms in Sydney under the management of James Badgery, and diversified into selling plant machinery and equipment.
Despite this, the sale will generate interest and there are some fine examples of Australian painting from the 1960s, decorative arts and sculpture. Greenaway has chosen to group works by artists – a risky strategy that can interrupt the momentum of the sale if an overrepresented artist in the collection (like Lawrence Daws) fails to attract buyers.
Undoubtedly some works will do well. There is an interesting selection of works by contemporary British artists, including a sumptuous (but small) watercolour by Patrick Heron (lot 54) and original sketch by Lynn Chadwick (lot 53).
Of the Australian works, Lot 38, Ann Thompson’s ‘Enigma’ is a strong example of one of Australia’s leading and underrated abstractionists. Similarly, works by Australian sculptor Lenton Parr (lots 39 and 40), who assisted Henry Moore, should generate collector and institutional interest. The standout piece is an erotic Whiteley porcelain vase (lot 80) that sensually captures the artist’s signature curvaceous lines.
The timing of the sale – the weekend after the Adelaide Biennale - will ensure plenty of people view works prior to the sale. Given the success of the recent Ann Lewis sale conducted by Mossgreen, the Bonython estate can feel comfortable knowing people pay for provenance.
Let’s hope that they have been realistic with reserves and despite the lack of exposure for this sale (outside Adelaide) and bullish estimates, the Kym Bonython Auction gets the 2012 secondary art market off to a flying start.
* Footnote: Subsequent to the publication of this article Paul Greenaway has pointed out that he is not the executor of Kym Bonython’s, estate, but fulfilling Kym Bonython’s wishes (as outlined in his will) to host a single estate auction of his collection.
