The painting, executed in 1944 is believed to have gone to an institution possibly against other institutions on the telephones. The Art Gallery of NSW and the National Gallery of Australia were the probable likely final contenders with the Australian War Memorial falling by the wayside.
Living Museums (formerly the Historic Houses Trust) might well have been an ideal owner given it has purchased works recording Australian interiors as in Mr Noufflard's House, watercolours of the interior of a colonial wool broker's property in Sydney, in 1983. Snack Bar was done almost one century later than these and is a vivid record of a night at the Hasty Tasty, an el cheapo restaurant at Kings Cross in Sydney.
The keen interest, which was beyond anything one might associate with a public gallery in the past for this type of work, is a reminder to “seize-the-day” at the legendary ”10 guinea” stage when representative inspiring works first come onto the market. Unfortunately galleries did not always do so with a school that flourished during the post-war and Menzies era because many of its members were communist and the Cold War just beginning.
A painting of a mob demonstrating outside a bank in which a Communist flag was unfurled was, typically for the times, withdrawn by the management of the David Jones store's art gallery in Sydney in 1948 because it gave the wrong message. A press clipping of the time does not name the artist.
Snack Bar has double-topicality as it has come onto the market as Australia is busily commemorating anniversaries of its wars. This is another big value tick. Visual records of art produced on the home front in both World Wars are some of the most exciting discoveries being made by visitors to the many exhibitions which are being held in conjunction with them. One of the joys of the exhibition Follow the Flag at the NGV is an extraordinary work by William Dobell, Sketch for Erecting Camouflage, Menangle, 1943 lent by Joy Chambers-Grundy and Reg Grundy, much of whose collection was sold by Bonhams in Sydney in June 2013.
The Grundys had a fine Badham Travellers 1933 which made more than this work ($732,000 with premium) but it was visually a more arresting composition... and it was a “Grundy”, a work that is valued for its previous ownership.
The AGNSW has a portrait by Badham of his wife at breakfast which it acquired in 1936, well before communism was such a defined serious issue.
Snack Bar does not have a sharp political edge. Indeed it shows denizens of the Cross feeding themselves and otherwise having a good time. It will probably end up reproduced as a jigsaw because of the number of figures in it.
Visitors to Snack Bar's new home could like visitors to the Kinnear's Lara Station, enjoy guessing the number of people in the picture. (Answer 90)
In its concern for the common man it is still tempting to ally it strongly with the Florence Fuller painting Weary of an exhausted street arab which sold for $280,600 the previous week at Sotheby's and is also believed to have gone to an institution that is overdue to announce some picture acquisitions.
As D +H's cataloguer notes, Badham's anecdotal depiction of every day life has little reforming zeal but lots of wry humour. But then Australia has not had better luck with the sharing of good fortunes than most places so piercing criticism of it would probably have been ill-conceived.
The painting does have an extra-catalogue claim to fame. It may initially have been owned by an ANZAC nurse, as the original owner was called Georgina Farquher (a nurse of this name existed) and the owner came from a family with other military links.
Other big earners for D + H were Storm over North Head 1856 (Lot 40 ) by Conrad Martens which went for an effective upper middle estimate $144,000 to art adviser David Hulme. This was a topical picture for another reason - the dramatic heavy clouds which might make one wonder if climate change is all that it is made out to be.
Mr Kerry Stokes might be pleased to see that a Juan Davila (Lot 9 ) sold at $92,500 hammer ($111,000 with premium) given his collection includes one of the most graphic of the artist's works called Stupid as a Painter.
The artist's works, which are very raunchy are hard to buy because of limited releases from the artist's studios which can cruel a market. There is a waiting list for Del Kathryn Barton's work so it is no surprise to see one making $120,000. She Appeared as a Lover Might (Lot 6 ) was estimated at $100,000 (the hammer price) to $140,000.
The other strength of the D +and H auction was the interest in the media which is also the “the people's hobby” - photography.
The show was on the road by lot 2 when a type C photograph of a motor cycle rider with his hands in the air sold for $27,000 hammer or $37,200 with premium. It was, of course. Approach to Mundi Mundi, Silverton Road, (Lot 2 ) by Shaun Gladwell Number 4 from an edition of five, and titled created in 2007. Gladwell recently joined the artists which Melbourne's Niagara Galleries identify as “blue chip”, a term usually applied to equities such as BHP Billiton or Woolworths.
Most of the photography, including a small collection of classical Australian photographs were consigned by an Adelaide collector. Among them was a truly iconic work, a print of Lewis Morley's 1963 Christine Keeler, (Lot 124 ) in the chair. It was not catalogued as vintage as Morley made new ones every so often. This specimen made $28,000 ($33,600 IBP) compared with estimates of $5000 to $10,000. Olive Cotton's Tea Cup Ballet, (Lot 120 ) a truly classical Australian work, tripled its mid estimate to make $13,000 ($15,600) with premium.
D + H took some satisfaction from selling five out of six of the contemporary Aboriginal paintings in the sale but it is hardly likely that the same percentage would sell from 100 lots in a mixed vendor sale.
The Nolan catalogue cover picture Ned Kelly 1960 (Lot 19 ) seemed rather highly estimated at $450,000 to $650,000 and failed to sell, the best bid of $320,000 "just shy" of what was wanted.
Scott Livesey despatched the entire 128 lots with great efficiency. This was a shame. Usually the selling is divided between Scott and Roger McIlroy. McIlroy, who was caught out like many by D and H's postponement of the auction by a week. McIlroy not only offers a break and a change for the auctioneers as well as the audience. McIlroy's droll observations were much missed. Sotheby's was so lucky to have Mark Poltimore for its sale giving it that extra bit of polish of years in the London rostrum. The audience comprised at its height about 160 but there was no lingering. People left when the lots they were interested in had come up. The crowd seemed to some degree to be unique to D + H but then it has a wider spread of price in its material than competing auctions. There were wines for the imbibers but the pop of corks and clink of champagne glasses is probably not so desirable in this unequal age. (SBS showed its Mount Druitt documentary, Struggle Street part 1 the same night.)
The second highest price in the auction was given for the three panel textual polymer Paul to the Hebrews (the New Testament book) (Lot 24 ) by New Zealander, Colin McCahon (1919-1987) which have been regular sellers in the same rooms, almost all to Australians. There was no sign of New Zealanders buying back their Australasian heritage as the work will not be leaving Australia. The theme is all about the good done of suffering which amazingly is not out of favour, The bid was the lower hammer estimate of $400,000 which turned into $480,000 with premium – miraculously as the premium does – like water into wine. The work had been in the celebrated A Question of Faith exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 2002
The failure of a bright Leeds artist Patrick Heron Sydney Garden Painting December 1989 I,1989 (Lot 20 ) to sell must have been a big disappointment as the auctioneers have had some success with selling modern British paintings and Heron has a long established following in Australia.
