The presentation of the auction was one of the best I have seen in recent years, with the Webb’s team really thinking creatively about how they could best present their space which can seem cavernous at times. Some works were hung on feature walls which were painted in dark blue or forest green or charcoal with a white border around. In particular the Ani O’Neill work Lucky Dip (Lot 30 ) comprising a large group of crochet flowers really popped when placed on the blue wall.
Gordon Walter’s screenprint Maho (Lot 1 ) was an easy choice for the first lot to get the sale going; a classic Gordon Walters image with a very reasonable estimate of $4,000-$7,000 and it sold quickly to an absentee buyer at $7,250. Some of other early lots in the sale came from the Beaglehole Collection and were well positioned to excite interest, with an excellent small format work by Allen Maddox, Grid Painting (Lot 6 ) being hotly contested by two room buyers to reach $11,500 against a reserve of $7,000.
A selection of international photography consigned from Melbourne including two works by Max Dupain found favour with New Zealand buyers. His important image Impassioned Clay (Lot 14 ) and the seductive Dreaming (Lot 15 ) both sold, with Dreaming in achieving $4,400 again a low estimate of $3,000. Interest in Fiona Pardington’s Huia photographs continues unabated, and this time it was Female Huia (Lot 26 ) which grabbed the attention of buyers. Three phone bidders, the internet and the book all competed for this work, which sold well over top estimate at $32,500.
The standout lot of the evening was Colin McCahon’s Load Bearing Structures, Series 2 (Lot 57 ) which was the most commercially appealing example from this series to appear at auction in the past 5 years. From a starting bid of $50,000, two older couples in the room bid against another room buyer to finish at $91,000, just above the top estimate and making the highest price of the evening.
The same interest didn’t translate to the headline lot of the sale, another work by Colin McCahon, The First Bellini Madonna (Second Version) (Lot 61 ). This small series consists of just four paintings and this particular example was last seen at Deutscher & Hackett in 2009 where it was unsold at $300,000. Another example from the series was offered last year in Art + Object’s McCahon Sale and sold for $350,000. The Webb’s example was not as appealing as the A+O painting which strongly referenced the geometric forms of the earlier GATE series. Despite two phone bidders, the work was knocked down subject at $200,000 against a low estimate of $350,000.
I was looking forward to seeing the result of Bill Sutton’s Threshold IX (lot 59), a major work from the Threshold series of the early 1970s, representing the hot and dry summers of the Canterbury landscape. As these works are rarely come to market, the last one being offered in 2004, there surely would have been strong interest in this work but it was withdrawn as it had been sold prior to auction. In total, three works were withdrawn, including Robert Ellis’s The City with Obliterated Cone, [lot 43], and Theo Schoon’s Tekoteko, [lot 65] silver gelatin photograph for varying reasons. The auctioneer, Charles Ninow, skipped over these lots without announcing they were withdrawn, which did cause some confusion for those in the room, as did the late addition of two 'A' lots, bothBert Stern photographs of Marilyn Monroe which didn’t appear in the catalogue. Perhaps a return to the hard copy ‘Salesroom Notices’ could be in order in the future.
The remaining lots in the 93 lot sale produced pleasing results. Rick Killeen’s early work Bus Stop (Lot 51 ) was unsurprisingly well contested to realise $33,000 to an online bidder but other notable works such as Ralph Hotere’s Black Window (Lot 63 ) and Shane Cotton’s Self Portrait (Lot 38 ) both were sold subject well under the low estimate.
Overall, the team at Webb’s achieved a successful sale under the changed circumstances. There was proven interest in quality artworks with sound provenance. Some of lower value lots also sold well against the estimates. Webb’s will have every reason to feel positive for the future of the art market this year and their place in it.
POSTSCRIPT: Over the weekend, Head of Art, Charles Ninow reported that negotiations are continuing for the Bellini Madonna to the highest phone bidder on the night of the auction and the two works by Shane Cotton which were sold subject on the night are pending sale. Charles also felt positive about the future of the art market and was heartened by the number of collectors who were selecting quality works and prepared to pay above the estimates. It’s just securing them for sale which will be the challenge for all the auction houses now.
All prices quoted are hammer prices in $NZ and do not include the buyer's premium of 17.5% unless otherwise noted.
