This Month
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.
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.
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.
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”.
February
How much AI is too much in art?
Christie’s first Augmented Intelligence sale brings the question of what constitutes art into sharp focus.
Barry Humphries’ estate tops $9m as NY Indigenous sale returns
The first works to feature in big local auctions are emerging on the back of a blockbuster sale of Barry Humphries’ personal collection in London.
December 2024
12pc of all money spent in the saleroom this year was on one artist
There were 38 artist records but market stars dominated a year that was solid, not exceptional.
Quite a price for a ‘passé’ landscape artist
The last big auction of the year delivered a solid overall result, but it was a stellar night for an artist long sneered at by art buyers.
November 2024
This is the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction in Australia
Bronwyn Oliver’s 4.5m long Tide, which greeted diners at Quay restaurant for two decades, is the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction in Australia.
Hits, misses and baffling excitement in the art saleroom
Deutscher and Hackett’s big end of year auction set record prices while also failing to sell works that looked odds-on to soar.
Chinese magpies, a Whiteley dove and a tale of two sales
Would be buyers flew in from China to see the stars of Bonhams’ Asian art auction, while Smith & Singer will be hoping Brett Whiteley’s dove has a better night.
Fan to put Bradman’s baggy green on the market
The cap worn by The Don during the 1947-48 home Test series against India is expected to fetch up to $400,000 at auction.
Job done selling luxe apartments, Lendlease offloads vast landscape
With 90 per cent of apartments at One Sydney Harbour sold, Lendlease is selling the 3.8m wide bush scene by William Delafield Cook that adorned the display suite.
Where did all the Jeffrey Smart paintings go?
Over the past decade, on average, 15 of the artist’s oils have sold each year, but only three have sold in 2024.
October 2024
Quay restaurant’s iconic 4m-long sculpture is for sale
A record auction price for an Australian sculpture is expected when the Fink family sell the Bronwyn Oliver work that greeted Quay patrons for years.
Ahead of major NGA show, Carrick Fox’s work set to soar
“Balmoral Beach, Sydney Harbour” by Ethel Carrick Fox was bought for less than $10,000 in 1991. It could sell for at least 10 times that amount this weekend.
In New York, a ravishing show of Aboriginal art
The tension between sacred mysteries that must be shielded from outsiders and those that can be revealed animates one of several exhibitions.
Iconic images of life, death and football fetch top dollar
A series of auctions suggests the market for big-name photographers is alive and well.
Mona Lisa of Melbourne makes an unexpected splash in London
After being held by a family for 40 years in Hawthorn, a rare 17th-century expert copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has sold for 10 times its estimate.
Monet, Van Gogh star as international auctions heat up
The 20th/21st Century Evening Sale in Hong Kong set an Asian auction record for two of the world’s most cherished artists, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.