Australian women artists have been all the rage this year, celebrated by auction houses and public institutions mindful of the zeitgeist. Collectors have followed suit, setting new auction records for well-known artists such Margaret Preston and Clarice Beckett, and lesser knowns too, such as Iso Rae.

Last Tuesday night, Rosemary Madigan, hardly a household name, became the latest woman to achieve a record when her large sandstone sculpture Quartet went under the hammer as a solo work in a private auction at Smith & Singer. The sculpture exceeded its high estimate of $300,000 to sell for $310,000. With the addition of buyer’s premium and GST, the final price tag was $387,500.