Bonhams Australia were tasked with selling selected works from gallerist’s Bill Nuttall’s collection on the 7th July in Melbourne; clearly these were not ‘prized’ works and the hushed atmosphere of the room, apart from the clipped annunciation of the auctioneer, echoed this sentiment. There was for the most part, scant movement in bidding, aside from some decent interest for the Ralph Balson (Lot 21) achieving $48K (incl BP) and the striking Peter Booth painting of 2007 (Lot 19) selling for $47,580 (incl. BP)
Ralph Balson (1890-1964), Matter Painting, c.1958, enamel on board, 106.5 x 137cm
Menzies’ “The Art of Discovery” auction on 9th July in Sydney produced mixed results. The much anticipated and prized work for the evening was Lot 28, the Grace Cossington-Smith, which took some cajoling from Martin Farrah to start the bidding, eventually selling for $520K against an estimate of $300 to $400K. The Sally Gabori work at Lot 14 enjoyed some spirited bidding selling at $15K against an estimate of $7K to $10K; and a Picasso ceramic at Lot 17 sold well for $22K against an estimate of $10K to $15K. There were some choice iconic works which either witnessed no interest – the Jeffrey Smart at Lot 27 (Est: $400 to $600K), the Brett Whiteley at Lot 29 (Est: $700 to $900K) and a challenging Russell Drysdale at Lot 30 (Est: $320 to $400K); - or were painfully slow, for example the bright Garry Shead at Lot 25, selling for $140K against an estimate of $120 to $160K, and the Charles Blackman at Lot 26, selling after Farrah suggested “still room for improvement ladies and gentlemen” for $180K against an estimate of $200 to $300K.
Charles Blackman, (1928 - 2018), Boats at Williamstown, 1956, oil on composition board, 95 x 129.5 cm