NewsBite

Elizabeth Fortescue

Yesterday

Lisa Roet’s “Golden Monkey”, 2023.

Auction houses embrace exhibitions to sell works

Joining the likes of Menzies, Sotheby’s and Christie’s, fine art auctioneer Smith & Singer says selling art in the manner of a gallery is an opportunity to showcase artists’ works in depth.

This Month

Detail of “Ankara Merne – Intekwe”, 1990, by Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

New York disappointment sharpens focus on next Indigenous art auction

Lacklustre results at Sotheby’s Aboriginal Art auction in the US last month have raised questions about the impact on prices at a Sydney sale next month.

May

Emily Kam Kngwarray’s painting, Untitled, 1993, fetched the highest price in Sotheby’s Aboriginal art auction in New York on May 20, 2025. The buyer paid $US215,900 (including buyer’s premium), on an estimate of $US100,000 to $US150,000.

Big New York Indigenous art sale fizzles

Sotheby’s banner Aboriginal art auction was hoped to be a springboard into the launch of a new Rockefeller gallery in the Met. It wasn’t.

Neapolitan delight, 1993, by the late Australian artist Howard Arkley, fetched $2.5 million on an estimate is $1 million to $1.5 million at Deutscher + Hackett’s May 7 auction in Sydney.

Howard Arkley bidding war drives fresh records

Rapid-fire and often tactical bidding drove Arkley’s big, bright lounge room - and the auction house - to the top of the 2025 sales list.

2025 Archibald Prize winner Julie Fragar, right, and her subject Justene Williams at the Art Gallery of NSW on Friday.

Fourth time’s a charm for Julie Fragar with her tribute to mums’ love

The Brisbane-based artist won the $100,000 Archibald Prize with a portrait of her friend and fellow artist Justene Williams.

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Sotheby’s bets on New York demand for Indigenous art

Several works by Emily Kame Kngwarreye headline an auction estimated to bring make than $4.5 million in sales.

April

Rumah (Home), 2013, by Yudi Sulistyo, is on consignment from The Mainland Collection. Measuring 180cm in height, it carries a pre-sale estimate of $7000 to $9000 in Leonard Joel’s Centum auction of contemporary art in Melbourne on May 5.

20 business types + a $1m super investment = an unusual art collective

Twenty top-tier business and legal names invested $1 million in art from Asia and the Pacific. Now they are selling.

Uyghur artist Aniwar Mamat and former diplomat Geoff Raby, who curated Aniwar’s exhibition at Vermilion Art in Dawes Point, Sydney.

First Uyghur art show attempts to tell a different Chinese story

Former ambassador to China Geoff Raby has curated the work of Uyghur artist Aniwar Mamat to show a side of Chinese contemporary art not seen in Australia until now.

Uli Sigg is offloading his Howard Arkley. Asking price, $1m-plus

One of the world’s biggest art collectors is selling a brash work by one of Australia’s most in-demand artists. It could add up to a record price.

Brett Whiteley’s Untitled Red Painting III, 1961, in oil on board, was estimated at $450,000 to $650,000 at Menzies’ but sold for $950,000.

Why this early Whiteley went from £200 to $1.2m

Two paintings were brought from the young artist in 1961. Last week one sold for almost four times the other.

Carol Jerrems’ Vale Street, 1975, the image for which the late Australian photographer is best known, blew through its estimate to set a record for an Australian photograph.

A record-setting photo and a $2.5m number plate

The biggest auction of the year so far delivered $10 million in sales and a record price for an iconic image, while a small plate brings a big price.

Untitled (Awelye), 1992, by Emily Kam Kngwarreye, scored the artist’s second-highest price at auction, selling for $1,196,591 including premium on an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000 at Deutscher + Hackett.

Foreign buyers swoop as Indigenous art takes off

An Emily Kam Kngwarreye painting that doubled its estimate helped Deutscher + Hackett record the highest sales since the glory pre-GFC days of 2007.

March

Brett Whiteley’s Untitled Red Painting III, 1961, in oil on board, is estimated at $450,000 to $650,000 in Menzies’ Important Australian and International Art auction in Sydney on April 9.

From £450 to $1m: Early Whiteleys emerge with a rich backstory

In 1961 the young Australian artist paid close attention to the pretty Californian art student who bought two of his works in London.

Sirius Cove, 1895, by Arthur Streeton carries an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000 in Smith & Singer’s auction of Important Australian Art to be held in Sydney on April 8.

130 years on, Australian art history comes out of the woodwork

An Arthur Streeton painting of a hallowed art location and a canvas that rocketed Brett Whiteley towards his eventual fame will be auctioned in April.

Double Wanjina, c.1978, by Alec Mingelmanganu, carries an estimate of $8000 to $12,000 in Deutscher + Hackett’s March 26 auction of Important Australian Indigenous Art.

A Canadian estate sale bargain is about to deliver a 200 times return

A wood carving snapped up at an estate clearance for the price of lunch turns out to be something quite rare and valuable.

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American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s Peanut Butter Cup, 1962. The work’s consignor is Sydney-based collector and philanthropist John Kaldor.

Roy Lichtenstein delivers $2m payday for John Kaldor

At 89, one of Australia’s top arts philanthropists is downsizing his personal collection, starting with this “early Pop Art masterpiece”.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/elizabeth-fortescue-p537xv