EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE, “Early Summer Flowers”, 1990: Sold for AU$300,682 incl. BP
D+H’s tightly curated Aboriginal Art auction bore witness to, dare I say, a thriving market for this category. Achieving a sales total of AU$2.6 against an estimate: $1,646,000 – 2,376,000, the sale knocked down a clearance rate of 131% by value and 92% by volume; clearly collector demand for quality artworks was high.
Results of note were the exuberant works by Emily Kame Kngwarreye (Lots 6, 7 and 11), all selling, with the ‘favourite’, the early 1989 “Anooralya (Wild Yam)” at Lot 6 selling well above its high estimate of AU$250K, selling for AU$429,545 incl BP. Another ‘favourite’ was the delicate Lin Onus gouache on card of Lot 1, again bid to above its high estimate of AU$25K and selling for AU$42,955 incl BP. The painting by Lin Onus at Lot 9 failed to elicit the same feverish enthusiasm but nevertheless sold well at AU$220,909 incl BP against an estimate of AU$150K to AU$200K.
The two fresh looking Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri works (Lots 4 and 39) were knocked down with some respectable bidding, with Lot 4, “Rockholes Near the Olgas”, 2008 setting a new record for the artist for a work at this scale and format, selling at AU$58,909 incl BP.
Tracey Moffat’s stunning and indeed, “seminal” series, “Something More” of 1989 (Lot 19) lightly jumped above its low estimate, selling for AU$270K incl BP and going to a no doubt rather chuffed phone bidder.
The superbly provenanced Lot 31, “Sandhills Surround the Rockhole of Yunala”, 2005, by internationally recognised Yukultji Napangati, clearly ignited some rather fierce bidding – online, on the phones and in the room – selling at the high end of its estimate, with a final sales figure of AU$85,909 incl BP.