There were very few works by Aboriginal artists in Deutscher and Hackett’s August 29 Important Australian + International Art Auction held in Melbourne. The few indigenous works that were included in the sale did, however, perform very well.
Works by Albert Namatjira have performed well at auction recently and the two small watercolours by Namatjira offered by Deutscher and Hackett were no exception with both going to new homes and achieving solid prices. Lot 49, Namatjira ˜s Ghost Gum, Central Australia, sold for $36,000 (inc. BP) against an estimate of $25,000 “ 35,000. Also achieving a good price was the artist’s In the Macdonnell Ranges, Central Australia which sold for $30,000 (inc. BP) against an estimate of $28,000 “ 35,000.
Works by Danie Mellor, who was recently announced as one of the artists to be included in The National Gallery of Canada’s inaugural 5-yearly international survey of Indigenous art in May 2013, continue to fetch high prices. Two sculptures by the artist were included in the sale and did not disappoint.
Mellor’s The Blue Collector, a fantastic 120cm tall sculpture of a kangaroo, sold for $12,000 (inc. BP) against an estimate of $7,000 “ 10,000. Constructed of steel, porcelain, plaster, kangaroo fur and paws, with woven grass fibre dilly bag containing painted gumnuts and shells, The Blue Collector is one of the most significant works from Mellor’s oeuvre. Another smaller sculpture by the artist, this time of a dog, sold for $3,840 (inc. BP) against an estimate of $3,000 “ 5,000.
Two spectacular charcoal drawings by popular contemporary Indigenous artist Vernon Ah Kee sold for prices within estimate fetching $4,200 and $3,360 respectively against the same estimate of $3,000 – 5,000.
