New Zealand Art Auction Sale Reviews

Included in the sale after being held in a prestigious private collection for 31 years, Thoughts of a Tohunga: Wharekauri Tahuna a Chieftain of the T?hoe Tribe, 1938 (Lot 32) epitomises all the formal qualities characteristic of the later period of Goldie’s artistic production. Goldie’s skill is exemplified further by the smaller, but no less striking, composition Portrait of Tumai Tawhiti, Chieftain of the Ng?ti Iwi Ng?ti Te Akau (Lot 33) which comes from the same private collection. These two masterful compositions by C F Goldie are included in International Art Centre’s Important & Rare Art auction, which is to be held on Tuesday 26 November. With an estimated total value of $NZ6.1 to $NZ8.5 million the auction is set to attract significant national and international interest. 

As the rise in the acquisition of works by women artists increases, International Art Centre’s Contemporary art auction sees the inclusion of a number of significant works by women artists featured in their September sale. One such example is the exquisite seascape by Joanna Margaret Paul, Salt Water Pool at St Clair (Lot 21). With a distinctly post-modern approach, Paul was known for interdisciplinary approach to art making and the composition included in this sale is a superb example.

Although it’s still cold in Auckland, there’s a hint of spring in the air. The evenings are getting lighter and the sun, when it appears is warm. Murmurs of a potential interest rate cut coming later in the year and earlier than expected have provided some optimism. The art market could do with some good news. During the last six months the primary and secondary markets have been really tough, and when the market is flat, it’s hard to find and consign major works, so the catalogues can feel devoid of those headline paintings which the auction houses build a sale around.

With three television cameras positioned prominently at the back of the International Art Centre auction room for the start of their Important & Rare Art sale on 30 July 2024 in Auckland, there was an air of anticipation about the crowd which numbered over sixty.

Auctioneer Richard Thomson confirmed that one of the cameras was recording content for breakfast TV the following morning where he was due to discuss the art market, and another was filming for a documentary on the artist Buck Nin. There’s nothing like the pressure of tv cameras to keep an auctioneer on their toes in the auction room!

An outstanding offering of rare and museum quality works will be offered for sale in International Art Centre’s Important & Rare Art auction on Tuesday 30 July at their Auckland auction room. With an estimate total value of $5,1 - $7,3 million the auction is set to attract significant national and international interest. 

International Art Centre’s first auction celebrating artworks created by women is set to take place on Wednesday 8 May from 6.00pm. The auction includes artworks spanning several decades, from the early 20th century through to contemporary works.

Two days following Art+Object’s sale of 6 works by Charles Frederick Goldie, we were back in their rooms for the Important Paintings and Contemporary Art sale in Auckland on 27 March 2024. The fewer attendees in the room for this sale, were bolstered by the presence of many of New Zealand’s art consultants, suggesting a strong offering from the auction house. Early lots sold well, and auctioneer Ben Plumbly moved the sale forward quickly and efficiently.

Six paintings by Charles Frederick Goldie consigned from the estate of Christchurch collector and benefactor Neil Graham, were worthy of their own standalone sale, which took place on Monday 25 March, 2024 at Art + Object in Auckland. To include six works by the artist, whose prices are consistently some of the highest in the market was a risky strategy by the auction house, and it would be considered a high profile fail if the paintings didn’t sell.

It’s been a busy week of auctions in New Zealand due to Easter and school holidays, with the three Auckland based auction houses scheduling their sales over three consecutive nights. Maybe their clients had already left on holiday as it was a smaller crowd than usual assembled in the rooms at International Art Centre for their Important & Rare sale on 26 March 2024, with about 55 in attendance, but the auction was buoyed by a large number of online bidders.

International Art Centre’s Important & Rare Art sale on the 26th of March features an outstanding collection of museum quality works. A highlight of the auction is a selection of paintings from the Estate of Patrick Hutchings. Professor Hutchings wrote extensively on the philosophy of art for leading publications such as Landfall. Brent Wong's masterpiece, Establishment, 1969 (Lot 32). is a classic Brent Wong composition. The characteristic combination of blue sky, sea, dry grassed hills, fluffy white clouds and ghostly white architectural elements mark the work as dating from the first decade of his exhibiting career.

International Art Centre’s March Art at Home sale offer collectors the opportunity to browse and acquire a diverse array of contemporary art, from emerging newcomers to established staples. Artists included in this auction practice across a diverse range of media including photography, painting and printmaking.

The appeal of International Art Centre’s Collectable auction reflects the popularity of this sale: an event at which seasoned connoisseurs and budding collectors alike converge to appreciate one of the most eclectic and diverse offerings available to the market. Among the auction highlights are works from the Estate of David Eade, musician, with fresh to market examples by Douglas MacDiarmid, Piha II (Lot 55), Helen Brown, Hauraki Gulf (Lot 54), Olivia Spencer Bower, Untitled (Lot 51) and John Drawbridge, Seated Women (Lot 57).