Australia
not including Tribal Oceania.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Colonial Australia Chairs and seats
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Colonial Australia Chairs and seats
1834 Ben Lomond by Glover
2013 SOLD for £ 1.74M by Christie's
John Glover was a good English landscape painter, although he failed to be elected to the Royal Academy. Idealizing the landscape to make it more expressive, he was closer to classic artists than to Constable and enjoyed being compared to Claude Lorrain.
In 1829, three of his sons leave for Van Diemen's Land in a boat of convicts. They were free, assessed by the fact that they had acquired some grants of farmers' land. A lot of boldness was needed for moving into that large island whose main use was penitentiary, and which will become the Tasmania.
John follows them in 1831. His previous success as an artist and farmer allowed him to obtain in 1832 a very large estate on the slopes of Ben Lomond mountain. According to the practice of his time, he used his watercolor sketches to achieve more ambitious oil paintings.
The discovery of the undisclosed landscapes of his new country generated to Glover a great creativity. In 1834, he assembled 63 paintings including 38 local subjects for an exhibition to be held in London in the following year.
One of the paintings of the London exhibition, oil on canvas 77 x 115 cm, was sold for £ 1.74M by Christie's on September 26, 2013, lot 11. Ben Lomond is on the horizon as seen from the property of a neighbour of the artist. Four men are walking in the countryside. We are told that they are busy catching opossums.
In 1829, three of his sons leave for Van Diemen's Land in a boat of convicts. They were free, assessed by the fact that they had acquired some grants of farmers' land. A lot of boldness was needed for moving into that large island whose main use was penitentiary, and which will become the Tasmania.
John follows them in 1831. His previous success as an artist and farmer allowed him to obtain in 1832 a very large estate on the slopes of Ben Lomond mountain. According to the practice of his time, he used his watercolor sketches to achieve more ambitious oil paintings.
The discovery of the undisclosed landscapes of his new country generated to Glover a great creativity. In 1834, he assembled 63 paintings including 38 local subjects for an exhibition to be held in London in the following year.
One of the paintings of the London exhibition, oil on canvas 77 x 115 cm, was sold for £ 1.74M by Christie's on September 26, 2013, lot 11. Ben Lomond is on the horizon as seen from the property of a neighbour of the artist. Four men are walking in the countryside. We are told that they are busy catching opossums.
1908 Venice by Streeton
2021 SOLD for A$ 3.07M by Deutscher and Hackett
The Australian painter Arthur Streeton specialized in landscapes under the influence of the Impressionnistes and of Turner. He managed an exquisite treatment of the atmospheres in light colors. His preference was for the oil on wood and his large size canvases are rare.
In Australia his preference was to Sydney harbor from his home 8 km northeast of the city. A panoramic view 61 x 122 cm painted in 1907 was sold for A$ 2.07M by Sotheby's Australia on August 31, 2016, lot 31.
Streeton sailed back in October 1907 to London where he had tried to make a career a few years earlier. From there he visited Venice twice in 1908 with his newly wed the Canadian violinist Nora Clench.
Of course the Australian impressionist was dazzled by the atmosphere of Venice. During his second 1908 trip, he painted two large size panoramic views of the Grand Canal from the same elevated viewpoint at the top of the Palazzo Foscari down to the Ponte di Rialto.
One of them, out of view from 1932, resurfaced in 2016 and was re-authenticated three years later. This oil on canvas 92 x 168 cm was sold for A $ 3.07M from a lower estimate of A $ 1.5M by Deutscher and Hackett on April 21, 2021, lot 21. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This work had been referred by Streeton in a letter to his sponsor Balwin Spencer on October 8, 1908. By chance Monet was in Venice from October 1. A mutual influence during their stays could be researched.
In Australia his preference was to Sydney harbor from his home 8 km northeast of the city. A panoramic view 61 x 122 cm painted in 1907 was sold for A$ 2.07M by Sotheby's Australia on August 31, 2016, lot 31.
Streeton sailed back in October 1907 to London where he had tried to make a career a few years earlier. From there he visited Venice twice in 1908 with his newly wed the Canadian violinist Nora Clench.
Of course the Australian impressionist was dazzled by the atmosphere of Venice. During his second 1908 trip, he painted two large size panoramic views of the Grand Canal from the same elevated viewpoint at the top of the Palazzo Foscari down to the Ponte di Rialto.
One of them, out of view from 1932, resurfaced in 2016 and was re-authenticated three years later. This oil on canvas 92 x 168 cm was sold for A $ 3.07M from a lower estimate of A $ 1.5M by Deutscher and Hackett on April 21, 2021, lot 21. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This work had been referred by Streeton in a letter to his sponsor Balwin Spencer on October 8, 1908. By chance Monet was in Venice from October 1. A mutual influence during their stays could be researched.
1941 Going to the Pictures by Drysdale
2020 SOLD for A$ 2.95M by Deutscher and Hackett
Born in Sussex, Russell Drysdale moved with his parents to Melbourne in 1923, at the age of 11. He entered Geelong Grammar School, where he had Peter Purves Smith as a classmate. The two young people will pioneer a new theme in pictorial art, describing the humble and harsh life in the outback, outdoors and indoors.
In 1940 Drysdale, almost blind, is not accepted for military service. To change his mind, he is going to shear the sheep. Returning to his studio in 1941, he renounces his previous style, too shimmering for the theme of rural desolation.
His characters are slim, with very elongated bodies and limbs in the proportions of Art Déco fashion illustrations. The landscapes with scattered dried trees are directly inspired by the Kangaroo Hunt painted in 1938 by Purves Smith.
On November 11, 2020, Deutscher and Hackett sold for A $ 2.95M Going to the Pictures, oil on canvas 46 x 55 cm painted by Drysdale in 1941.
The whole family is in their Sunday best attire, the men with a tie and the woman with her handbag. They get ready to go to town in a pre-1914 roadster. In the foreground, the father turns his back to the scene for being admired, while holding the watering can with which he will refresh his vehicle from another age.
In 1944 the outback was devastated by the worst drought in its history. Going to the Pictures and its narrative following Sunday Evening had foreshadowed the artist's social awareness in favor of these disadvantaged but not discouraged families. Drysdale does not join the political demands of the Angry Penguins.
In 1940 Drysdale, almost blind, is not accepted for military service. To change his mind, he is going to shear the sheep. Returning to his studio in 1941, he renounces his previous style, too shimmering for the theme of rural desolation.
His characters are slim, with very elongated bodies and limbs in the proportions of Art Déco fashion illustrations. The landscapes with scattered dried trees are directly inspired by the Kangaroo Hunt painted in 1938 by Purves Smith.
On November 11, 2020, Deutscher and Hackett sold for A $ 2.95M Going to the Pictures, oil on canvas 46 x 55 cm painted by Drysdale in 1941.
The whole family is in their Sunday best attire, the men with a tie and the woman with her handbag. They get ready to go to town in a pre-1914 roadster. In the foreground, the father turns his back to the scene for being admired, while holding the watering can with which he will refresh his vehicle from another age.
In 1944 the outback was devastated by the worst drought in its history. Going to the Pictures and its narrative following Sunday Evening had foreshadowed the artist's social awareness in favor of these disadvantaged but not discouraged families. Drysdale does not join the political demands of the Angry Penguins.
1946 Penguin in the Bush
2010 SOLD for A$ 5.4M by Menzies
If you like non-conformist art, just go to Australia. it is the right time, as the austral summer ends and the selling season begins.
That country reminds as a guarantee of originality its ancient past of prison. This isolated continent in the middle of the oceans has allowed to develop unimaginable animal species as the koala and echidna ... and a political art equally original in the mid-twentieth century.
Sidney Nolan had belonged to the group of Angry Penguins, a literary and artistic movement in the Surrealist following, whose one of the goals was to shock the bourgeoisie. He made several series of paintings on themes of epic history of his country, especially the disastrous expedition of Burke and Wills and the revolt of the bushranger (escaped convict) Ned Kelly.
In his 27 paintings made in 1946 on the theme of Ned Kelly, the hero is a robot with a dark black head of TV monitor (then!) pierced by a narrow horizontal slit revealing two terrible eyes.
A ripolin 91 x 121 cm was sold by Menzies on March 25, 2010 for A $ 5.4M from a lower estimate of A $ 3M. Ned Kelly, in the hostile atmosphere of the bush, is brandishing a rifle. He looks like a scarecrow.
The repetition of a recognizable character in a series of images was a common artistic language for some surrealists, including Ernst, Lam and Dominguez.
That country reminds as a guarantee of originality its ancient past of prison. This isolated continent in the middle of the oceans has allowed to develop unimaginable animal species as the koala and echidna ... and a political art equally original in the mid-twentieth century.
Sidney Nolan had belonged to the group of Angry Penguins, a literary and artistic movement in the Surrealist following, whose one of the goals was to shock the bourgeoisie. He made several series of paintings on themes of epic history of his country, especially the disastrous expedition of Burke and Wills and the revolt of the bushranger (escaped convict) Ned Kelly.
In his 27 paintings made in 1946 on the theme of Ned Kelly, the hero is a robot with a dark black head of TV monitor (then!) pierced by a narrow horizontal slit revealing two terrible eyes.
A ripolin 91 x 121 cm was sold by Menzies on March 25, 2010 for A $ 5.4M from a lower estimate of A $ 3M. Ned Kelly, in the hostile atmosphere of the bush, is brandishing a rifle. He looks like a scarecrow.
The repetition of a recognizable character in a series of images was a common artistic language for some surrealists, including Ernst, Lam and Dominguez.
1972 Grandma's Sunday Walk by Russell Drysdale
2017 SOLD for A$ 2.97M by Mossgreen
In the outback, the desert region beyond the Australian bush, families live in isolated houses as in pioneer times. Who are they ? What are they doing ? What are they waiting for ? They are the forgotten people of the planet, just like the father and his two sons photographed in 1936 by Rothstein in Oklahoma. In these terrible conditions their family life is incredibly normal. Children play and jump like all children in the world.
The drought was extreme during the Second World War. In 1944 the Sydney Morning Herald sends an investigative journalist to see the damage. He is accompanied by Russell Drysdale.
Deeply moved, Drysdale appreciates that his earlier paintings on Australian desert life will not be enough. He also becomes a portrait painter. His paintings of the chiseled faces of elderly Australians are unprecedented. Rocky McCormack, oil on canvas 111 x 86 cm painted in 1962-1963, was sold for A $ 1.9M by Sotheby's on August 25, 2008.
In the 1970s the artist had almost completely lost his eyesight. He is re-focusing on his first theme of family life in the desert. Grandma's Sunday Walk, 75 x 126 cm painted in 1972, was sold for A $ 2.97M by Mossgreen on June 25, 2017. Please read the post sale release by ABC News.
Evening on Stony Plains, oil on canvas 50 x 76 cm is undated but possibly one of the latest paintings by Drysdale. It had been bought by a Melbourne gallery in 1978 and had just resurfaced before being sold for A$ 980K by Menzies on April 26, 2018.
The drought was extreme during the Second World War. In 1944 the Sydney Morning Herald sends an investigative journalist to see the damage. He is accompanied by Russell Drysdale.
Deeply moved, Drysdale appreciates that his earlier paintings on Australian desert life will not be enough. He also becomes a portrait painter. His paintings of the chiseled faces of elderly Australians are unprecedented. Rocky McCormack, oil on canvas 111 x 86 cm painted in 1962-1963, was sold for A $ 1.9M by Sotheby's on August 25, 2008.
In the 1970s the artist had almost completely lost his eyesight. He is re-focusing on his first theme of family life in the desert. Grandma's Sunday Walk, 75 x 126 cm painted in 1972, was sold for A $ 2.97M by Mossgreen on June 25, 2017. Please read the post sale release by ABC News.
Evening on Stony Plains, oil on canvas 50 x 76 cm is undated but possibly one of the latest paintings by Drysdale. It had been bought by a Melbourne gallery in 1978 and had just resurfaced before being sold for A$ 980K by Menzies on April 26, 2018.
1974 Henri's Armchair by Whiteley
2020 SOLD for A$ 6.25M by Menzies
Through the window of his studio in Sydney, Brett Whiteley has a view over Lavender Bay. The sea is blue, like Matisse's Méditerranée.
The modernist vision of Matisse had changed art, now differentiated from aesthetics. He wrote in 1908 :
« Ce que je rêve, c'est un art d'équilibre, de pureté, de tranquillité, sans sujet inquiétant ou préoccupant, qui soit, pour tout travailleur cérébral, pour l'homme d'affaires aussi bien que pour l'artiste des lettres, par exemple, un lénifiant, un calmant cérébral, quelque chose d'analogue à un bon fauteuil qui délasse de ses fatigues physiques. »
“My dream is for an art of balance, purity, tranquility, without worrying or depressing subject, which is, for any brain worker, for the businessman as well as for the literary artist, for example, a soothing, a cerebral calming, something analogous to a good armchair which relaxes from physical fatigue."
L'Atelier Rouge is a direct application of this promising theory. Exhibited at MoMA, this monumental oil on canvas 180 x 220 cm painted in 1911 considerably influenced Rothko in 1952.
In 1974 Whiteley paints in Matisse's way a view of his own studio home, with humor and subtlety. His oil, ink and charcoal on canvas 195 x 300 cm titled Henri's Armchair is an anthology of Matisse's themes and styles : the blue sea, the nude drawing, the disorder of the wall hangings, the bouquet on the table, the Cézannian deletion of perspective. He innovates by adding a television set to the illusion of windows and mirrors and by displaying in the foreground Wendy's bare legs by the fireside.
Henri's Armchair was sold for A $ 6.25M from a lower estimate of A $ 5M by Menzies on November 26, 2020, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The modernist vision of Matisse had changed art, now differentiated from aesthetics. He wrote in 1908 :
« Ce que je rêve, c'est un art d'équilibre, de pureté, de tranquillité, sans sujet inquiétant ou préoccupant, qui soit, pour tout travailleur cérébral, pour l'homme d'affaires aussi bien que pour l'artiste des lettres, par exemple, un lénifiant, un calmant cérébral, quelque chose d'analogue à un bon fauteuil qui délasse de ses fatigues physiques. »
“My dream is for an art of balance, purity, tranquility, without worrying or depressing subject, which is, for any brain worker, for the businessman as well as for the literary artist, for example, a soothing, a cerebral calming, something analogous to a good armchair which relaxes from physical fatigue."
L'Atelier Rouge is a direct application of this promising theory. Exhibited at MoMA, this monumental oil on canvas 180 x 220 cm painted in 1911 considerably influenced Rothko in 1952.
In 1974 Whiteley paints in Matisse's way a view of his own studio home, with humor and subtlety. His oil, ink and charcoal on canvas 195 x 300 cm titled Henri's Armchair is an anthology of Matisse's themes and styles : the blue sea, the nude drawing, the disorder of the wall hangings, the bouquet on the table, the Cézannian deletion of perspective. He innovates by adding a television set to the illusion of windows and mirrors and by displaying in the foreground Wendy's bare legs by the fireside.
Henri's Armchair was sold for A $ 6.25M from a lower estimate of A $ 5M by Menzies on November 26, 2020, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1976 My Armchair by Whiteley
2013 SOLD for A$ 3.9M by Menzies
In the follow of Henri's Armchair made in 1974, Brett Whiteley painted three works in 1976 which confirmed the originality of his own vision and ensured his reputation : My Armchair, Self portrait in the studio, Interior with time past.
My Armchair, oil on canvas 206 x 283 cm, was sold for A $ 3.9M by Menzies on October 31, 2013.
My Armchair, oil on canvas 206 x 283 cm, was sold for A $ 3.9M by Menzies on October 31, 2013.
1985 The Olgas for Ernest Giles by Whiteley
2007 SOLD for A$ 3.5M by Deutscher-Menzies
Brett and Wendy Whiteley want a life of passion. Wendy abandons her own artistic ambition to second her husband. Brett believes that an artist can influence the world. After the total failure of a monumental work in mixed techniques against the war in Vietnam, the rest of his career marks his need to define his relationship with the world, exacerbated by his addiction to alcohol and drugs.
The art of Brett Whiteley is of a great variety. Wendy's body is the treasure of the closed universe of his studio in Sydney. The immensity of the sea symbolizes the magnitude of his ambition but is also a pretext to simulate the pathological passion of Gauguin in Oceania. The heron flying against the wind is autobiographical.
Brett positioned himself as a landscape designer. In 1979 he painted a series of two oil on canvas showing The Paddock at two different times of the day with bright colors inspired by Matisse. In Australia paddock is synonymous with grazing.
This landscape seen from above is limitless, with no perspective and no logical path. It was located in the inland 180 km from Sydney but the inconsistency of the shadows reveals that it comes mainly from the imagination of the artist.
The Paddock - Early Morning was sold for A$ 650K by Deutscher-Menzies in September 2004. The Paddock - Late Afternoon, oil on canvas 200 x 152 cm, was sold for A$ 1.84M by Menzies on March 28, 2019, lot 40.
In a classical perspective by the sea, The Olgas for Ernest Giles tries a synthesis between landscape and nude body in a group of anthropomorphic rocks on a beach, with a sexual force that evokes Dali. Two perched birds represent the artist. Giles is the Australian explorer who discovered that group of domed rock formations in 1872 in the Northern Territory. Olga is not originally a homophony for 'old gals' that mingles life and eternity but a reference to Queen Olga of Württemberg who had once supported the sponsor of the expedition.
That oil and mixed media on board 213 x 245 cm painted in 1985 was sold for A $ 3.5M by Deutscher-Menzies on June 13, 2007, lot 35.
The art of Brett Whiteley is of a great variety. Wendy's body is the treasure of the closed universe of his studio in Sydney. The immensity of the sea symbolizes the magnitude of his ambition but is also a pretext to simulate the pathological passion of Gauguin in Oceania. The heron flying against the wind is autobiographical.
Brett positioned himself as a landscape designer. In 1979 he painted a series of two oil on canvas showing The Paddock at two different times of the day with bright colors inspired by Matisse. In Australia paddock is synonymous with grazing.
This landscape seen from above is limitless, with no perspective and no logical path. It was located in the inland 180 km from Sydney but the inconsistency of the shadows reveals that it comes mainly from the imagination of the artist.
The Paddock - Early Morning was sold for A$ 650K by Deutscher-Menzies in September 2004. The Paddock - Late Afternoon, oil on canvas 200 x 152 cm, was sold for A$ 1.84M by Menzies on March 28, 2019, lot 40.
In a classical perspective by the sea, The Olgas for Ernest Giles tries a synthesis between landscape and nude body in a group of anthropomorphic rocks on a beach, with a sexual force that evokes Dali. Two perched birds represent the artist. Giles is the Australian explorer who discovered that group of domed rock formations in 1872 in the Northern Territory. Olga is not originally a homophony for 'old gals' that mingles life and eternity but a reference to Queen Olga of Württemberg who had once supported the sponsor of the expedition.
That oil and mixed media on board 213 x 245 cm painted in 1985 was sold for A $ 3.5M by Deutscher-Menzies on June 13, 2007, lot 35.
Lockheed Lounge by NEWSON
1
1988 prototype
2010 SOLD for $ 2.1M by Phillips de Pury
The lounges by Marc Newson are an important milestone in contemporary creation. Just out from his sculpture training, he executed in 1986 his first prototype named LC in homage to Le Corbusier.
Australians love surfing. Newson appreciates that the manufacturing techniques of the surfboards may be used for more complex and modern structures. The shape is achieved by covering the foam with fiberglass. Then comes the finish.
The sculptor Newson wishes a metallic finish. After various tests in his garden in Sydney, he manages to keep the convex and concave curves of the cast by hammering sheets of aluminum joined by many blind rivets. The texture is similar to an aircraft fuselage. The new model in 1988 is named Lockheed lounge without the involvement of that industrial company.
The Lockheed Lounge is abstract art applied to furniture, with unprecedented materials and techniques. In 1990, ten units plus four artist's proofs are edited, bringing their figure to a final fifteen.
We do not sit on a Lockheed lounge but may recline on it for a social activity. The new Madame Récamier is the entertainer Madonna. A Lockheed Lounge appears sporadically in 1993 in the video Rain, a song from her highly successful Erotica album. Newson's chair becomes an icon of contemporary lifestyle.
The 1988 prototype was sold for $ 970K by Sotheby's on June 14, 2006, lot 162 and for $ 2.1M by Phillips de Pury on May 13, 2010, lot 4 here linked on the bidding platform LiveAuctioneers.
Australians love surfing. Newson appreciates that the manufacturing techniques of the surfboards may be used for more complex and modern structures. The shape is achieved by covering the foam with fiberglass. Then comes the finish.
The sculptor Newson wishes a metallic finish. After various tests in his garden in Sydney, he manages to keep the convex and concave curves of the cast by hammering sheets of aluminum joined by many blind rivets. The texture is similar to an aircraft fuselage. The new model in 1988 is named Lockheed lounge without the involvement of that industrial company.
The Lockheed Lounge is abstract art applied to furniture, with unprecedented materials and techniques. In 1990, ten units plus four artist's proofs are edited, bringing their figure to a final fifteen.
We do not sit on a Lockheed lounge but may recline on it for a social activity. The new Madame Récamier is the entertainer Madonna. A Lockheed Lounge appears sporadically in 1993 in the video Rain, a song from her highly successful Erotica album. Newson's chair becomes an icon of contemporary lifestyle.
The 1988 prototype was sold for $ 970K by Sotheby's on June 14, 2006, lot 162 and for $ 2.1M by Phillips de Pury on May 13, 2010, lot 4 here linked on the bidding platform LiveAuctioneers.
2
1990 10/10
2015 SOLD for £ 2.43M by Phillips
The number 10/10 from the 1990 edition of the Lockheed lounge was sold for £ 2.43M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M by Phillips on April 28, 2015, lot 226.
On April 30, 2009, Sotheby's sold another example of the Lockheed lounge for £ 1.1M.
One of the two artist's proofs of the Orgone Stretch lounge was sold for £ 420K by Sotheby's in October 2008.
A production model of the Pod of drawers made in 1987 was sold for $ 1.05M by Christie's in May 2007 and for $ 350K by Phillips de Pury on June 9, 2010, lot 220 here linked on the bidding platform LiveAuctioneers.
On April 30, 2009, Sotheby's sold another example of the Lockheed lounge for £ 1.1M.
One of the two artist's proofs of the Orgone Stretch lounge was sold for £ 420K by Sotheby's in October 2008.
A production model of the Pod of drawers made in 1987 was sold for $ 1.05M by Christie's in May 2007 and for $ 350K by Phillips de Pury on June 9, 2010, lot 220 here linked on the bidding platform LiveAuctioneers.
