Artists on the rise in Australia
[21/08/2002]
The art market is traditionally quiet in August. But Australia, the world’s ninth largest market in 2001, has taken advantage of the summer break to hold the first big sales of the coming season. Sale catalogues feature a number of the Aussie artists that have recently been making waves at auctions.
Australian artists are much in vogue this year. The best-known have seen spectacular rises in their benchmarks over the last few months, led by Brett WHITELEY, who won the international prize at the Paris Biennale 1961, and whose work topped the sales at Australian public auctions in January to June 2002 while his price benchmark gained 10%. Arthur BOYD, whose paintings have risen in value by 50% since January 2002. Against this trend, Australian landscapist Sidney Robert NOLAN is one of the few Aussies to have lost value lately.
Collectors should be pleased with the quality and range of the lots offered at the Australian sales. Sotheby’s kicks off proceedings with an auction in Sydney on 25-26 August. The 800 lots include a magnificent Portrait of Wendy (1985) by Brett WHITELEY, estimated at AUD 170,000-200,000* and a large number of Arthur BOYD canvases, including Bride in a Cave With Rainbow (AUD 400,000-600,000) which could well drive up the benchmarks for these two painters. In the following few days Christie’s holds its Melbourne sale. One of the most eagerly awaited lots here will be a major work by John Cecil BRACK, Seated Nude (AUD 200,000-300,000). Brack has enjoyed one of the biggest jumps on the market. AUD 100 invested in one of his paintings in 1997 would have been worth AUD 400 in June 2002. Another highly profitable artist this year, Frank Jeffrey Edson SMART, will be represented with his The Stadium I (AUD 80,000-120,000).
In the contemporary art market, two Australian names are exploding in popularity : the painter Timothy Austin STORRIER and photographer Tracey MOFFATT. Enthusiasts for the young photographer can bid for 3 exceptional pictures at another auction organised by Sotheby’s in Melbourne on 8 September. One of the mythical prints from the series Something More (1989) has an estimated price of AUD 80,000-120,000. As for Léon HAFFNER (Attrib.), bidding could well be intense for Burning Logs, typical of the artist’s large format works whose prices have been spiralling for the last five years. In less than 6 months, the value of his paintings has risen 38.3%.
If the Melbourne and Sydney auctions can repeat the exceptional hammer prices Aussie artists have been commanding in the first season, it will augur well for the season about to begin.
*AUD = Australian Dollar = approximately USD 0.54
Top 20 artists sold at auction in Australia from january to june 2002
Rank 1st half 2002
Rank in 2001
Turnover in Australia during 1st half 2002
Lots sold 1st half 2002
Artist
1
2
EUR 1 460 755
33
Brett WHITELEY(1939-1992)
2
3
EUR 1 335 042
39
Arthur BOYD(1920-1999)
3
78
EUR 652 065
3
Frederick MCCUBBIN(1855-1917)
4
1
EUR 539 923
70
Sidney Robert NOLAN(1917-1992)
5
43
EUR 509 072
21
John de Burgh PERCEVAL(1923-2000)
6
6
EUR 480 638
11
Frank Jeffrey Edson SMART(1921)
7
9
EUR 368 548
8
Arthur Ernest STREETON(1867-1943)
8
18
EUR 346 116
12
Frederick Ronald WILLIAMS(1927-1982)
9
10
EUR 343 496
7
John Cecil BRACK(1920-1999)
10
12
EUR 283 323
27
John Henry OLSEN(1928)
11
5
EUR 277 614
62
Charles BLACKMAN(1928)
12
21
EUR 253 413
7
William Francis ROBINSON(1936)
13
19
EUR 182 122
12
Lloyd Frederic REES(1895-1988)
14
42
EUR 172 299
8
Tracey MOFFATT(1960)
15
46
EUR 157 302
25
Hans HEYSEN(1877-1968)
16
13
EUR 153 736
23
Robert Henry DICKERSON(1924)
17
54
EUR 132 290
4
Rupert BUNNY(1864-1947)
18
25
EUR 113 232
19
Timothy Austin STORRIER(1949)
19
16
EUR 111 577
33
Ray Austin CROOKE(1922)
20
8
EUR 109 477
6
Russell DRYSDALE(1912-1981)