From the Age:
Barely half of the 265 works offered at Deutscher and Hackett’s inaugural Aboriginal art auction last night sold, fetching a total of $1.3 million, including commissions.
Executive director Chris Deutscher, who had been hoping for a $2 million sale, was disappointed.
“I think we all know we are heading into uncharted waters,” he said. “There were a lot of works that we were sure would sell. I would have predicted a 70 per cent sale rate. It was patchy and a lot of the middle to high priced works didn’t sell.
“But I am certain there will be strong after-sales. People are hounding us.”
One of the few moments of levity on the night was the sale of Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s sprawling 1995 work Untitled (Alhakere).
