A great auction result last week Wed, 07 Aug 2013
International Art Centre's auction of Important, Early & Rare New Zealand Art exceeded expectation on the night and will certainly go down as our best auction so far for 2013.
A refreshing catalogue of just 97 lots included some superb items ranging from a Len Castle piece, which possibly fetched a record in itself at $8,000 + buyers premium to a 1910 Charles F Goldie with impeccable provenance which made $200,000 _+ buyers premium.
Prices were consistent throughout the sale, as was the sale rate, 80% on the night and climbing, many of the works achieving top estimate and some well beyond. Alvin Pankhurst's 'About Time' sold for $47,000 + buyers premium, blitzing it's presale estimate of $20,000 - 30,000. The other two works by Alvin Panhurst were also sold for $20,000 and $25,000 plus premium.
The sale began with Peter Siddell pastel estimated at $7,000 - 10,000 and fetched $9,000 plus premium. That first lot, with it's keenly contested bids, pretty much summed up the rest of the sale. Another early Siddell estimated at $4,000 - 6,000 sold for $8,500 + premium. Rare screenprints followed by Don Binney and Robin White, all achieving estimates, some higher. Charles Tole's Fire Byond Turangi, from the Estate of the late Allen and Jeny Curnow made $8,000 against its $5,000 - 8,000 estimate. Although three smaller Hotere's had already sold within estimate, Lot 15 Winter Solstice built momentum and sold for $37,500 and soon after Mungo, a tiny but much talked about and loved work made $31,000 against it's estimate of $20,000 - 25,000. From there it was an auction record for Kees Bruin with $29,000 for reading, a much loved at the viewing oil on canvas. A large canvas by Pamela Wolfe went for $14,250. Gordon Walters work on paper fetched $32,000 and Amoka screenprint $7,000.
Karl Maughan's Riverena made $27,000, interestingly the second highest price ever paid at auction for a work by Maughan - with premium it sold for a total $31,657. Another contemporary piece by Mike Petre went for $14,500. Raymond Ching's Anzacs went for $46,000
The action continued well on in to historical and modern works including $32,500 for the Frances Hodgkins, $9,000 for an Edward Fristrom and $16,500 for an early Evelyn Page of Lyttleton. $9,750 for the small Rhona Haszard, $7,400 for the Felix Kelly and a record $13,500 for Colin Wheeler's McKenzie Country. The early Wynyard of Princes Street went for $27,000, up $7,000 on the previous time it was sold at International Art Centre in 2008. Overall a fantastic result with a full list of results available shortly.
The auction produced four new auction records: Prices include buyers premium.
- Pamela Wolfe $16,708
- Kees Bruin $34,002
- Len Castle $9,380
- Alvin Pankhurst $56,092
Next auction 29 August - Contemporary & Collectable Art - catalogue available 13 August
