Menzies’ recent auction of Australian and International Fine Art and Sculpture in Melbourne on 30 June produced some impressive results, with 92% of lots sold by volume and 81% by value for a total of AU$4,684,254 (including buyer’s premium).

Recent reports on the auction have suggested either a renewed interest in female artists or accordingly to Menzies’ post auction press release, “the strength of collector interest in female Australian artists, with works by Margaret Preston, Constance Stokes, Margaret Olley, Emily Kngwarreye and Inge King selling well above estimate.”  Either way, the results are on trend with global developments in market visibility of women artists – historical and contemporary.

And on this note, it was heartening to observe a new auction record achieved for contemporary painter Fiona Lowry, with her work at Lot 47 being knocked down for $36K on the hammer, against a high estimate of $AU15K.

The cover lot, Ben Quilty’s “Skull 3” did not immediately engage the punters, as perhaps expected of a feature lot, with initial bidding as tough as pulling teeth, only to sell at AU$140K on the hammer and at the mid-range of the estimate AU$120K to AU$160K.  More fervent bidding was had with Quilty’s “George Byrne Study” at Lot 9 selling for a solid AU$40K on the hammer against a high estimate of AU$18K.

Other highlights included Arthur Boyd’s “Flame Trees, Horse’s Skull, Black River” selling well at a hammer price of AU$170K, against a high estimate of AU$120K, while to my mind, the more sublime “Shoalhaven” at Lot 31 sold above its high estimate of AU$50K for a hammer of AU$62K; John Perceval’s “Windy Walk” saw energetic bidding to a hammer of A$64K against a high estimate of AU$45K; and the duo Storrier works of Lots 14 & 15 sold sell, with “Summer Evening” at a hammer of AU$46K and “Autumn Night Fire” at a hammer of AU$60K.

Unfortunately, the much anticipated interest in another work by Lin Onus from the “Numerili Suite” failed to eventuate on the night, with an opening of $140K being reluctantly accepted by Cameron Menzies as auctioneer; and the much traded “Kelly” by Sidney Nolan with an ambitious but market ready estimate of $500 to $700K (Smith & Singer’s “Kelly” work sold comfortably at their April 2021 auction for AU$613,636 incl BP) failed to elicit interest beyond the auctioneer’s opening bid of AU$360K.

©Catherine Asquith 2021