Leonard Joel’s Prints & Multiples Sale, 28 July 2021

Lot 106, TOM BLACHFORD, (born 1987), “Untitled (Midnight Modern)”, 2018, archival pigment print, edition of 10, 89 x 133cm

There seems to be something of a global re-assessment in the value of prints and multiples at present: Galerie LeLong in New York are currently exhibiting a curated group show of prints by well-established artists Etel Adnan, Leonardo Drew, Samuel Levi Jones, Jaume Plensa, Kate Shepherd, and Barthélémy Toguo; Stephen Friedman Gallery in London are presenting a series of unique screen prints spanning three years by Scottish artist, Claire Barclay; Photo London is intent on presenting a ‘live’ art fair in the first week of September, and closer to home, Menzies have announced its inaugural “Prints & Multiples” auction slated for an online edition in September.

Leonard Joel has been presenting its Prints and Multiples auction for some time now, and it is perhaps not surprising that this modest, yet highly successful sale continues to garner collectors and quality consignments. 

The major drawcard for their July sale was Banksy’s screenprint, “Jack and Jill (Police Kids)” of 2005 and with an estimate of $80K to $100K, sold for a hammer price of $90K.  The controversial street artist’s secondary market is now “booming”.  In just over two decades Banksy has gone from $300 per print to a total sales tally of $125,002,316, $48 million of which were generated solely from prints and multiples.

Invader’s “Prisoner” of 2007, a giclee print (and generally not as highly valued by the market) also elicited strong online bidding, selling for $14,500 on the hammer, well above its high estimate of $8K.   “Invader”, is the pseudonym adopted by Franck Slama, a French street artist born in 1969, and in like fashion to Banksy, (they’re collaborators and friends) Invader’s market has also witnessed a massive surge, with one of his works,TK_119, 2014, selling for a hammer price of US$1 million at Sotheby’s in New York in November 2019.

Elsewhere in the sale, John Coburn’s works represented at various lots also enjoyed good interest from multiple bidders; Hall Thorpe’s woodblock prints (scattered throughout the sale) all sold well and mostly, above their high estimates; and Barbara Brash’s 1955 modernist screenprint “ Red Bridge” from the estate of artist, Kenneth Jack, also sold above its high estimate.

Contemporary works also sold well; the two Del Kathryn Barton works (Lots 1 & 2) saw the auction commence with good energy both selling at either end of their estimates; the vibrant and fresh editioned pigment prints by Melinda Harper (Lots 96 & 129); Stephen Haley’s clever “Echohouse (Pink)” (Lot 105); and internationally profiled Tom Blachford’s “Midnight Modern” series seemingly struck a nostalgic chord with buyers. 

The 165 lot sale generated a total of AU$425,925 incl BP and a sale rate of 108% by value and 87% by number.

©Catherine Asquith 2021

InTouch Edition - 5

InTouch is an online digital exhibition, bringing together galleries from the Middle East and South East Asia. It aims to create an organised and synergistic platform for the galleries to collaborate, and challenge traditional formats of engaging with art.

Provocative works which caught my eye:

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The collages of Maya Varadaraj use vintage images drawn from popular culture of India, to manipulate them into concentricity.

This particular piece represents a woman, questioning her status and history. The centrifugal quality adds a hypnotic character to the piece, transporting the viewer to an alternate universe. Its composition is minimalistic as compared to other Varadaraj pieces exhibited, with the subject’s face as a clear focal point. What is interesting is the subject’s Madonna-like character. She has her head covered with a dark robe; gold embellishments framing her face. She expels a pious, divine nature. She stands as a symbol of life, royalty and purity. 

Dhruvi Acharya is a well-known artist within the industry fabric of India. She is known to be a familiar face represented by one of the most recognised gallery of the country, Chemould Prescott Road in Mumbai. The exhibition, Elusive Recesses, showcases her ink and watercolour works which were made in isolation during the COVID pandemic. They confront the unrest that 2020 brought to the world, including natural disasters, political upheaval in addition to crimes against minorities and women.

The composition of ‘Fifth Elusive Recess’ has a strong textural and compositional quality, drawing the viewer’s eye to the right. While the backdrop balances the image. Presumably, this work points at the patriarchal society prominent in India, with the subject’s defeated heart interlinked with partition of her hair, which holds a sacred place (for vermillion) within Indian culture.

Latif Al Ani’s photographs shed light on ‘heritage lost'. Much of modern Iraq is either lost or is known to the world as a product of conflict. Ani, from the late 1950s to the late 70s, captured the vanishing pageant of Iraqi society. He focussed on not just beauty of his land but also the culture of his people, touching base on the architecture, landscapes and streetscapes. His exhibit of these images is a result of the protection given by the Arab Image Foundation. He ceased shooting from 1979 as Saddam Hussein came to power which led to an invasion by the USA within Iraqi turf.

This particular piece is a quintessential Ani, as it reflects a sense of calm before the country was struck by violence; capturing local architectural ruins as well as natural beauty of the countryside, with the sheep grazing with ease.

For more details regarding this innovative platform please click here

©Shristi Sainani
December 2020

Leonard Joel Prints & Multiples, 29 July 2020

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The extensive sale of just over 200 lots commenced with a selection of iconic Pop Art multiples by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein, garnering both Australian and international collectors’ attention.

Star lots achieved some solid results, with the widely-publicised Keith Haring screenprint, “Silence – Death” of 1989 enjoying some spirited bidding and selling for $48K. The other Haring works achieved either parity with their high estimates (Lot 20, “Pop Shop II” at $20K), or exceeded their high estimates – Haring’s “Montreux Jazz Festival” offset lithographs (Lots 13 and 14).  The Warhol inventory saw mixed results, notwithstanding all but 3 out of the 23 lots sold, the unsold being more akin to ephemera than editioned prints.

Australian prints fared quite well; best sellers were surprisingly, a high-editioned giclee print by David Larwill (Lot 74), not a print traditionally coveted by collectors, selling above its high estimate; a Sidney Nolan AP of a market favoured subject, “Burning at Glenrowan (Ned Kelly series)”, selling above its high estimate; and a wonderful low-editioned Brent Harris etching (Lot 102) selling for nearly 3 times its high estimate.

Interest in the sale remained steadfast right until the final hammer, due in no small part to the efficiency at the rostrum and the breadth of inventory.