Australia’s art auctioneers learned to live with uncertainty last year and proved adept at it, boosting their online activity and ending the year on a surprising high with a total turnover of $108.2 million, a tolerable $3 million down on 2019’s takings. As if to emphasise the lessons of 2020, Melbourne went into its third lockdown last week, scuttling the auction calendar on cue.

Last year’s market leader Deutscher and Hackett had to postpone their charity auction for the Australian Prostate Centre, now scheduled in Melbourne this Sunday, with works by Australian artists including Sam Leach, Lisa Roet, Sally Ross, and Michael Zavros going under the hammer for a good cause.