11 minute read
of Model Ships A Year in Review
A YEAR IN REVIEW
The Bushfire Relief Auction | FEBRUARY
DAVID BROMLEY (born 1960), The Journey | Sold for $29,760
The Edward Clark Collection | FEBRUARY
A Pair of 19th Century Louis XIII Style Walnut High Back Open Armchairs | Sold for $5,209
The Collector's Auction | FEBRUARY
The Duke of Wellington Drum | Sold for $2,976
THE BOURGEOIS TASTE
AUCTION THURSDAY 12 MARCH 2020, MELBOURNE
The Bourgeois Taste | MARCH
A Japanese Six Fold Screen Meiji Period, 19th Century | Sold for $1,054
Fine Jewels & Timepieces | MARCH
A Diamond and Gem Set Giardinetto Brooch Formerly Belonging to Agatha Christie | Sold for $37,200
Fine Art | MARCH
TOM ROBERTS (1856-1931) Happy Cottage, Goulburn Valley 1927 | Sold for $96,100
Luxury | APRIL
A Birkin 35 Handbag by Hermès | Sold for $13,020
Centum | MAY
IMANTS TILLERS (born 1950) Four Books 2002 | Sold for $29,760
Modern Design | APRIL
Ettore Sottsass 'Agra' Totem | Sold for $45,880
Prints & Multiples | APRIL
BROOK ANDREW (born 1970) Peace 2005 | Sold for $5,456
Three Asian Collections | MAY
A Large Dayak Ancestral Guardian, Late 19th / Early 20th Century | Sold for $5,456
Fine Jewels & Timepieces | JUNE
An Antique Emerald and Diamond Locket | Sold for $12,400
Fine Art | JUNE
ALBERT NAMATJIRA (1902-1959) Group of Ghost Gums | Sold for $48,360
The Mode 707 Collection | JUNE
Schulim Krimper Chair, Commissioned for the Maas Cabaret, St Kilda | Sold for $1,984
Decorative Arts | JUNE
A German Iron Armada Chest Nuremberg,17th Century | Sold for $11,780
Asian Works of Art | JUNE
An Important Imperially Inscribed Chinese Silver and Gold Embellished Zitan and Lacquer Inkstone Box, Qianlong Mark and of the Period (1735-1796) | Sold for $155,000
The Day We All Went Home | JUNE
JULIAN MARTIN (born 1969) Untitled 2018 | Sold for $2,480
The Collector's Auction | JUNE
LEE KRASNER (American 1908-1984) Nude Study from Life, 1938 | Sold for $52,080
Modern Design | JULY
Venini Murano Glass Spiral Chandelier | Sold for $6,875
Luxury | JULY
A Lion Foot Stool by Hunt Leather | Sold for $5,750
The Collection of the Late John Schaeffer AO | AUGUST
CYRUS EDWIN DALLIN (American, 1861-1944) Nude Sleeping in the Landscape 1903 | Sold for $212,500
Prints & Multiples | JULY
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) Pop Shop III Scissors 1989 | Sold for $25,000
Important Jewels | AUGUST
An Impressive 17.34 Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring Set In Platinum | Sold for $575,000
Scandinavian Design | SEPTEMBER
Flemming Lassen Style Lounge Chair | Sold for $4,500
Fine Art | SEPTEMBER
ARTHUR BOYD (1920-1999) Evening Shoreline c.1968 | Sold for $55,000
Fine Jewels & Timepieces | SEPTEMBER
An Antique Gold and Enamel Cuff Bangle | Sold for $13,750
Decorative Arts and Asian Art | OCTOBER
A Japanese O-Yoroi Armor Edo Period (1603-1868), 19th Century | Sold for $8,750
Women Artists | OCTOBER
HILDA RIX NICHOLAS (1884-1961) The Arab Sheep Market, Tangier 1914 | Sold for $137,500
The Private Collection of Trevor Kennedy AM | NOVEMBER
A Victorian Sterling Silver Mounted Claret Jug | Sold for $45,000
MODERN DESIGN Modernity & Misogyny
Modern Design Auction Mon 29 March 2021, 6pm MELBOURNE
TOP: LE CORBUSIER & CHARLOTTLE PERRIAND LIMITED EDITION LC4 CHAISE FOR CASSINA
LEFT: CHARLOTTE PERRIAND
CHARLOTTE PERRIAND, FRENCH ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER
In the unwritten history of male condescension, Charlotte Perriand was snubbed by the famous Le Corbusier in 1927 for hoping to join his design atelier. His dismissive reaction, ‘We don’t embroider cushions here’ to her accredited architectural resume was typical of the treatment towards female designers at the time. Le Corbusier later changed his tune after seeing her work on display at the Salon d’Automne. Effortlessly crafting the male dominated materials of steel, chrome, and glass into machine age designs, Perriand swayed the hardened designer into hiring her.
When female designers do appear in architectural conversations, it is often through their connection with male designers, regardless of their own creative achievements. It is not surprising that for an extended period, few knew that a Le Corbusier interior or chair was likely the work of Charlotte Perriand. Despite significant contributions to the atelier, and the collaborative nature of the design process, women still occupied the bottom of the hierarchy, and were paid significantly less than their male counterparts.
"The underlying assumption is that when women do something, it is for love or as a hobby, when men do it, it becomes a reputable profession” Dora Vanette, Design Historian, NYC Perriand believed good design should be fundamentally transformative and accessible to all. Her three most iconic chairs are prime examples of her vision and craftsmanship; the B301 (Sling Chair), the B306 (Chaise Lounge), and the LC2 (Grand Comfort). Despite these designs having feminine and erotic overtones, Le Corbusier would insist that they were shining representations of the mechanical and masculine.
By the 1930s, Perriand became increasingly socially conscious and realized her politics were diverging from those of Le Corbusier and so she left his atelier in 1937. Perriand went on to design collective housing that merged functionality with aesthetic; areas such as the kitchen were opened towards the living space, allowing comfort and cooking to combine. She also lived in Japan for two years, where she formed a synergy with the landscape, finding a perfect marriage between the Japanese aesthetic, and her own industrial modernism.
Charlotte Perriand is a story of talent, determination and insight that is often swept under that storm cloud that is Le Corbusier. Her brave and bold take on design in an era of rebirth helped turn a male movement into a human one. As we acknowledge her for the icon she is, hopefully it will encourage history to be re-examined, allowing those women that were overlooked to finally have their moment in the sun.
ANNA GRASSHAM / Head of Modern Design
CHRISTIAN COX / Modern Design Assistant
SYDNEY
MR BRAINWASH – Banksy’s Over-the-Top Protégé1
The Collector's Auction Mon 7 Dec, 12pm SYDNEY
OPPOSITE: MR BRAINWASH (French/North American, b. 1966) Picasso 2011 (detail) mixed media on canvas on board 91.5 x 61cm $30,000-40,000 Audacious and unapologetic, Mr Brainwash presents the viewer with a collision of street art and pop art. He liberates the space of ‘high-art’, breaking codes and conventions to create instantly accessible imagery for all. But the results are carefully orchestrated. He appropriates iconic images of two twentieth-century stars, Pablo Picasso and Kate Moss. The juxtaposition locates Picasso, arguably the most influential artist of the 20th Century, within the realm of celebrity. The message is simple: Picasso and Moss are both icons because of what they do.
Moss is to Mr Brainwash as Marylin Monroe was to Andy Warhol. As a self-proclaimed Pop artist, the cult of the celebrity occupies an important role within Mr Brainwash’s practice. But he is not interested in deconstructing the phenomenon as a product of the mass media, or the slippage between the real and the ideal. His passion lies with the possibility and promise of individuals who realise their dreams to life. As he stated:
“It’s about people, people who had a dream and let it happen. They show that you can become a legend if you want to be. These people had a dream, but they didn’t give up. They let it happen. And that is what I want to show the other people. The message is never, never, never give up, you know? Follow your dreams. Love is the answer, life is beautiful. When you see those iconic people, you realize they are all just people, just like you and me. They become iconic [because] of what they do.2”
Here, Mr Brainwash reinforces his message with the vibrant pink word LOVE across the composition, as though freshly painted by Picasso.
Mr Brainwash, a pseudonym for Thierry Guetta, navigates between the works of film, celebrity culture, music, sport and contemporary art. He has created album covers for Madonna, and his works of art were curated into the television series Billions. After discovering the secret identity of his cousin as the street artist Space Invader, Guetta created a film documenting his cousin’s life and work. This led him to Shepard Fairey and then Banksy, who suggested Guetta should try creating street art.
JANE MESSENGER / Independent Writer
1 Sarah Cascone, “On View”, ArtNet News, 26 October 2018
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/mr-brainwash-new-york-exhibition-1381450
2 Thierry Guetta quoted in Cait Munro, “Galleries”, ArtNet News, 22 May 2015 https://news.artnet.com/market/mr-brainwash-interview-301002
Prints & Multiples
A Year of Prints & Multiples —
Looking back on 2020, we featured many amazing, diverse, and interesting pieces within the Prints and Multiples auctions. I have selected a handful of my personal favourites to share with you.
In April we saw ‘The Larry Rawling Collection’; Larry Rawling being a screen printer to many recognised Australian artists. Alongside this, we featured a curated array of Australian and International printmakers.
BRENT HARRIS, OTHERNESS One of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, Harris’ prints generally embody imagery that drifts between the abstract and the figurative. When viewing this screen print, the simplicity of the three colours and repetition makes an impact and, in my case, also has a calming effect.
JESSIE TRAILL, GIRL STANDING (MARGARET (PEGGY) TRAILL) Jessie Traill was a true pioneer for women artists and printmakers across Australia during the 20th Century. Unlike her usual subjects of bushland and architecture, this portrait of Margaret imbues a sense of familiarity and warmth for me. The shadowed face and elongated lines intrigue me as to the relationship between the sisters.
July brought us the anticipated ‘Collection of Pop Art’. This auction saw many records broken and a clearance rate of 92%, making it one of our most successful Prints & Multiples auctions to date. KEITH HARING, MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL Keith Haring is a household name, for the artist had a true impact upon the Pop Art movement in New York. This lithograph was designed at the peak of his career in 1983. Haring used his well-known imagery and bold colours to create an eye-catching and impactful print. This artwork was featured alongside its partner in adjacent colours. I love the playfulness and energy of this work.
JUAN DAVILA, THE FIELD Davila is a controversial artist, with his works exploring cultural, sexual, and social identities.
Viewing the artwork, I am instantly drawn to the dominating male figure and his shy companion. Upon further inspection and drawing back from the figures, the colours and technique that Davila used has an almost holographic effect, and this is what I most enjoy in the artwork.
November, the last Prints and Multiples auction of 2020, held a diverse range of artists from different stylistic movements and mediums.
CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE, WRAPPED COAST (LITTLE BAY) Wrapped Coast (Little Bay), Australia, was a major environmental project created by the iconic international artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude. This installation was the largest single artwork that had ever been made. This artwork consisted of 92,900 square meters of fabric and 56.3 kilometres of rope. I love that two very influential artists came to Australia to embark on their very first large installation which would define the future of their practice.
HANNAH RYAN / Prints & Multiples Manager
ABOVE: KEITH HARING (1958-1990) Montreux Jazz Festival 1983 offset lithograph 98 x 69cm Sold for $4,750
