It was a small, select crowd who attended the final Important Paintings and Contemporary Art sale of the year at Webb’s. Some of the best paintings of the year were here on offer and despite the attendance and some conservative bidding, Webb’s managed to find buyers for the top lots to end the year on a high.
A small but perfectly formed group of works for sale, a stunning catalogue with each work sumptuously photographed, a well presented viewing and reasonably estimated, quality artworks – what could go wrong for the final fine art sale of the year for Art + Object?
Not much really, apart from some very slow audience participation which seemed to keep some of the prices close to reserve and failing to reach their full potential.
A balmy spring evening didn’t deter the buyers at the final sale of the year for the International Art Centre (IAC) in Auckland.
Dunbar Sloane’s Winter Fine Art sale had a varied and interesting selection of reasonably estimated works over a two day sale period in Wellington last week.
Art + Object have a proven track record selling boutique collections so it was no surprise that they were given Stellar Group Art Collection and New Zealand artworks from the Peter Fay Collection to underpin their August Fine Art Sale. This sale also included important photography, another specialist area for the auction house so the sale had a large variety of works to suit the buyers.
With a low end estimate of just over $3,000,000, Webb’s had an impressive but ambitious offering for their winter sale, at a time of year when consignments and sales can be a more difficult than the April and November auction rounds. Of a 104 lot sale, just 5 lots comprised about $1,000,000 of the low end and the Webb’s staff would have been hoping for spirited bidding to get the results they needed. Despite a blustery, rainy evening the room was full with at least 120 people in attendance at the start.