An eleventh-hour withdrawal of the highly anticipated and promoted portrait work ascribed to Tom Roberts by Leonard Joel, did not affect the impressive 96% sale rate by value of the 175 lot Fine Art Auction held on 16th March 2021.

Totaling A$932,850 on the hammer, the sale comprised a mix of periods, genre and style, from early colonial works by the likes of Tom Roberts, S. T. Gill and J.W. Curtis, through to later works by Albert Fulwood, Will Ashton and Ernest Buckmaster, to a range of works by John Olsen, David Boyd and Sidney Nolan, the latter of which dominated the sale’s inventory.  Indeed, there were some 65 lots for works of various media by Sidney Nolan, all of which were from the artist’s estate, (aside from Lot 24, catalogued near the start of the sale), with the majority selling.