September
‘Mosman Bay’ stars on a sobering night at Bonhams art auction
Arthur Streeton’s beach scene brought almost half the total take as many works went unsold in Sydney; Leonard Joel gathers 133 lots for this year’s Women Artists’ sale.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
August
James Wolfensohn’s Australian classics lead $14m art sale
The canvases by Arthur Boyd and Fred Williams adorned the Australian former president of the World Bank’s Manhattan apartment and lead Smith & Singer’s big mid-year sale.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
June
Big name Indigenous artists bring the love to Redfern
A high-end auction brings Indigenous art to the people, while Menzies hopes Kirk Douglas can be their hero.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
Selling a painting like it’s a mansion a plus for elite bidders
Del Kathryn Barton’s anatomy-bending work will be the tenth to be offered at private auction by Smith & Singer, a concept that borrows from high-end property sales.
April
Streeton stuns at $10m art auction
Arthur Streeton’s historic scene took top honours, but works by Bronwyn Oliver and Nicholas Harding were the big surprises.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
Streeton, Campbell works promise hefty returns in $12m art sale
An Arthur Streeton painting bought for £7 has hopes of $1.5 million at the year’s first big sale.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
May 2023
Drysdale dances to heights but art market turns cautious
A Russell Drysdale proved the first work to pass the $2 million mark at auction this year, but for the second night in a row the overall result was underwhelming.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
December 2022
The 10 top art sales of the year
A record number of women made it into the top ten auction prices this year. That number was two.
- Gabriella Coslovich
September 2022
Which woman artist will make an impact this time?
If the last couple of years are any guide, a sale dedicated to women artists could bring overdue recognition to a few more forgotten Australian painters.
- Gabriella Coslovich
August 2022
Great expectations for contemporary art stars old and new
Jordan Kerwick was barely known a year ago, now he will join Cressida Campbell as the two hot Australian contemporary artists test the market at an upcoming sale.
- Gabriella Coslovich
Art liquidation sale delivers Cbus bumper $8m return
Margaret Preston was among seven artists to set auction records in the first tranche of the super fund’s sale of its collection of Australian art.
- Gabriella Coslovich
July 2022
Why artist Cressida Campbell repainted a $500k work for free
Before a 35-year-old woodblock painting went to auction, she fixed it up and ensured a windfall for its owner.
- Gabriella Coslovich
Cbus expects mixed returns in great Australian art sale
The top 100 works from the superannuation giant’s collection represent an A-Z of Australian art, and illustrate its varying fortunes as an investment class.
- Gabriella Coslovich
April 2022
Cressida Campbell leads way as living artists fly high
The work of living Australian artists was at the forefront of fierce bidding at two major auctions last week with Cressida Campbell leading the charge.
- Gabriella Coslovich
March 2022
Brack, Smart and Quilty to test market strength
Menzies hopes the hot art auction market will deliver up buyers for several big-name works that have failed to sell in recent years.
- Gabriella Coslovich
April 2021
‘There is enormous appetite’: art market revels as more records fall
By anyone’s measure, last week was exceptional for Australia’s secondary art market, with $25.8 million in sales, 16 artist records and a new high for an internet bid.
- Gabriella Coslovich
November 2020
The love of Bunny's life now top lot for Smith & Singer
Rupert Bunny’s portrait of his French muse could set a new record for the artist at a $10 million-plus sale. Hopefully it will avoid the fiery end of its predecessor.
- Gabriella Coslovich
July 2020
- Exclusive
- Saleroom
Questionable Preston still life pulled from sale
Questions from Saleroom sparked Australia's newest auction house – chaired by Campbell Newman – to pull a Margaret Preston still life that was top lot in its upcoming sale.
- Gabriella Coslovich
June 2020
Online art auctions surprise on the upside
The sums art buyers are willing to spend online have more than doubled in a few weeks, but phone bidders are still winning the big auctions.
- Gabriella Coslovich
May 2020
When is an art auction not an art auction?
Auction houses are experimenting with new sales models that blur the line between private and public. But is this lack of transparency good for artists?
- Gabriella Coslovich