IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
Important Paintings & Contemporary Art Tuesday 29 November 2016, 6.30pm
— Pg. 1
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
Important Paintings & Contemporary Art Tuesday 29 November 2016, 6.30pm
Board of Directors Jack Gringlas (OAM) Chairman
Evening Preview Tuesday 22 November
Paul Sumner Chief Executive Officer
Viewing
Specialist Enquiries
Tuesday 22 November
9.00am – 5.30pm
Wednesday 23 November
9.00am – 5.30pm
Thursday 24 November
9.00am – 5.30pm
Friday 25 November
9.00am – 5.30pm
Saturday 26 November
11.00am – 3.00pm
Sunday 27 November
11.00am – 3.00pm
Monday 28 November
9.00am – 5.30pm
Tuesday 29 November
9.00am – 12.00pm
Charles Leski Deputy Chairman
Sophie Coupland 022 510 8766 sophie.coupland@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz Briar Williams 027 345 6765 briar.williams@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Collections and Shipping
Jessica Douglas 09 524 6804 jessica.douglas@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Marketing & Communications
Kate Shapiro 09 524 6804 kate.shapiro@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
6.00pm – 8.00pm
Buyer's Premium A buyer's premium of 17.5% will be charged on all items in this sale. GST (15%) is payable on the buyer's premium only.
Lot 12 Colin McCahon Waterfall enamel on hardboard, 1964 (detail) $60,000—$70,000
FRONT COVER
INSIDE COVER
Lot 17 Peter Stitchbury Walter Whitlow $65,000—$85,000
Lot 22 Grahame Sydney Slow Sign $120,000—$150,000
PAGE 1
Lot 23 Tony Fomison The Veil of Saint Veronica—After an Old Engraving of a Relic at the Vatican $45,000—$55,000 — Pg. 3
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
Public Programme Tuesday 22 November, 6.30pm
Sunday 27 November, 2.00pm
Peter Shand Reviews Contemporary Art & Nadene Milne Introduces Her Collection
Nadene Milne Discusses Her Collection & Peter Simpson Reviews Works by Colin McCahon
Join us to hear Peter Shand discuss how today’s art discourse is demonstrated in the contemporary works presented in the November auctions.
Join us to hear Nadene Milne discuss her collection of contemporary art. Nadene's informal presentation will examine the collecting principles of a respected primary market gallerist. Peter Simpson will discuss the four works by Colin McCahon in the auction and their place within the artist's oeuvre.
Associate Head of School at Elam School of Fine Arts, Peter Shand is highly regarded for his research on contemporary creative practices.
Nadene Milne Nadene opened her Arrowtown gallery in 2001 and represents leading New Zealand contemporary practitioners. She is presenting a significant body of works from her private collection in a stand-alone auction to be held on 28 November.
Peter Simpson Peter Simpson is a freelance writer, editor and curator and has specialty across New Zealand literature, art history, modern poetry and post-colonial literatures.
Photo: Marti Friedlander
Nadene Milne will also introduce key themes in her collection.
Peter Shand
Lot 39 FAR LEFT Peter Lot 39Madden Peter Madden You are never far from my thoughts You Are Never Far From My Thoughts (detail) $12,000—$15,000 $12,000 – $15,000 Peter Shand Pg. 4 —
Nadene Milne
Peter Simpson — Pg. 5
ALL-NEW JAGUAR F-PACE
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
THE PERFORMANCE CAR OTHERS LOOK UP TO
Introduction In this first pivotal year under new ownership, Mossgreen-Webb’s has enjoyed enormous good will and support from collectors, dealers and industry professionals—and we are grateful to everyone who has contributed to the business’ rapid return to a leading position in the market.
MDL0294_FAC
Peter and Annie Webb spent thirty years establishing a secondary market for contemporary art in New Zealand, and it’s wonderful to see their legacy live on. The excellent results achieved in our mid-year sale went a long way towards developing confidence in our marketing reach and expertise, and we look forward to building on these with this forthcoming sale.
The All-New Jaguar F-PACE is here. The ultimate practical sports car blends performance, technology and practicality. Configurable Dynamics* will allow you to adjust the steering feel, throttle mapping and gearbox shift for a unique driving experience, giving you total control over the terrain. Adaptive Dynamics* will analyse your personal driving style up to 500 times a second, giving you the optimum balance of ride and handling. And when you are ready to tackle the elements, the Activity Key is a waterproof, shockproof wristband that lets you lock and unlock the car, so you can leave your main key safely inside.
In addition to the quality works offered in this catalogue, we have the pleasure of presenting works from the private collection of Arrowtown gallerist, Nadene Milne. These works are featured in a stand-alone catalogue and the auction will be held on Monday 28 November at 6.30pm. The celebration of collectors and collections is at the core of our business and our goal is to create an auction house experience that is different to anything else in New Zealand. In addition to an extensive auction
calendar, and significant single-owner collections, we will be rolling out a programme of special events, projects and collaborations in 2017, with cultural organisations in the community and around the country. This month, we welcome Jane Clarke to our staff as Business Manager. Jane comes to us from five years as Executive Director at New Zealand Opera and, prior to that, a senior role at Creative New Zealand. Jane brings a wealth of skills and relationships to her new post at Mossgreen-Webb’s, providing tremendous support across the business. We invite you to peruse the works in our upcoming auction, our final for the year, and we look forward to seeing you at the evening preview, where we will have the pleasure of serving you a glass of fine wine from Amisfield in Central Otago, and antipasti from our lovely neighbours at Non Solo Pizza.
F-PACE really is a master of sporting performance and everyday practicality. Starting from just $95,000 +ORC**. Register online or contact your local Jaguar retailer now to secure your place in the queue.
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THE ART OF PERFORMANCE *Configurable Dynamics and Adaptive Dynamics may be standard or optional dependent upon the F-PACE model and powertrain chosen. ** For the 20d Prestige. Vehicle shown is an F-PACE S First Edition.
— Pg. 7
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Contents PICTURED ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT
Lot 20 Max Gimblett One Stroke Bone, For Anthony Fodero $35,000—$55,000
Lot 17 Peter Stichbury Walter Whitlow $65,000—$85,000
Lot 7 Michael Parekowhai The Bosom of Abraham $8,000—$12,000
Lot 11 Michael Parekowhai Portrait of Elmer Keith #1 $15,000—$25,000
Pg. 8 —
10 – 15
Art in Focus: The Sale in Review
18 – 21
Introducing Wellington Consultant, Brian Wood
24 – 25 26 – 27
The Roy Savage Collection of Classic Cars From the Collection of Nadene Milne
28 – 29
Important Paintings & Contemporary Art
30 – 31
Single-Owner Collections
32 – 33
A2 Art
34 – 35
Decorative Art Collections
36 – 37
Fine Jewels & Watches
38 – 39
Fine & Rare Wines
41 – 96
The Catalogue
98
Sale Highlights
102
Our Specialists
107
Terms & Conditions
111
Index of Artists
— Pg. 9
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Art in Focus: The Sale in Review
LEFT
Lot 24 Colin McCahon Jump (E23) $165,000—$200,000
A standout example of contemporary practice, featured on the cover of this catalogue, is the superb painting, Walter Whitlow (2005), by Peter Stichbury. Incorporating all of the highly polished formal and stylistic qualities that make Stichbury’s work so distinct, this work compels the viewer in its glossy-eyed beauty—a beauty which both contrasts with and complements the fictional character’s sense of curiosity, and not-quite-definable vapidity and despair. With an extensive record of institutional exhibition, Michael Parekowhai’s Bosom of Abraham (2001) underpins the essence of the artist’s cultural, historical, aesthetic and formal concerns. Cultural identity as a state of mind is conveyed elegantly in an illuminated light box which references the traditional Māori kōwhaiwhai pattern and the heke, or decorated rib form, found in the roof support structures of wharenui. Another emblematic and celebrated work from Parekowhai’s oeuvre is Portrait of Elmer Keith #1 (2004), a large c-type print, Lot 8 in this catalogue. These accompany a number of other significant contemporary works, including a Perspex-mounted work by the undisputed master of collage, Peter Madden. Enshrined in this work is a dense diversity of images, obsessively excised and collected from National Geographic magazines, which convey Madden’s social and ecological concerns and remind us about the fragility of life, including the threat of extinction for some of our earth’s flora and fauna. One Strike Bone For Anthony Fodero (2002) by Max Gimblett is a large, gestural painting on an annulus-shaped canvas, created through the application of one powerful stroke. There is a performative aspect to Gimblett’s gesture paintings, which grounds them in the tradition of American abstract expressionism and references Eastern calligraphic practices. Pg. 10 —
The selection of works in this sale unite to create a rich and varied representation of New Zealand’s art history and contemporary practice.
The inclusion of Mary-Louise Browne’s neon sculpture, entitled Truly Madly Deeply, is the first instance of a work in this medium by the artist being offered to the secondary market. Words are a constant feature of Browne’s work, exploring the metaphoric, material and visual power of language. Alongside these works sit examples by contemporary practitioners Elizabeth Thompson, Robert Jahnke, Sam Mitchell, Martin Poppelwell and Dane Mitchell, and a major early work by Jude Rae. Grahame Sydney’s Slow Sign embodies the core properties of the artist’s early period. Demonstrating Sydney’s mastery of the centuries-old tradition of the egg tempera technique, this is a breathtaking snapshot of heartland New Zealand, which, through the presence of the titular, concealed ‘slow’ sign and linear divisiveness of train tracks, has been imbued with a sense of visual poetry and symbolism. The beautifully observed cloud formations are a feature typical of Sydney’s most celebrated work; the train track travelling into the distance is testament to the human journey and presence within a landscape, captured with astonishing physical accuracy. The sale also presents a robust line-up of work by New Zealand’s modernist masters. Colin McCahon is represented by four significant works: Jump (E23), Landscape Titirangi, Landscape Theme and Variations (H) and Waterfall. Landscape Titirangi (1956) was painted when McCahon lived in a small house surrounded by trees in Titirangi. The dense Waitakere bush strongly influenced his paintings; drawing on the colours and shapes of the trees, his work became increasingly geometric and cubist as seen in this superbly rendered example.
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IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Jump E23 (1974) is unique in its deviation from the compositional forms of the Jump series and in the employment of the ‘I’ construction, which presents a religious statement about the power of God as represented in other works by the words ‘I AM’. At once a rich landscape and a sophisticated abstraction, this is a complex work that relates strongly to the Necessary Protection series of 1971. In discussing the Landscape Theme and Variations series, McCahon said: “I hoped to throw people into an involvement with the raw land, also with raw painting. No mounts, no frames, a bit curly at the edges, but with, I hoped, more than the usual New Zealand landscape meaning…” McCahon produced these landscapes in sets, conceived to be hung with edges touching. This double landscape, entitled H, is one of a small number of paintings that were released as separate works and is elegantly described by Peter Simpson in his text on the work as “a brooding, imposing and monumental painting”. In discussing the Waterfall series, McCahon famously said that “the waterfalls started flowing in 1964 and there were hundreds of them”. Whilst this is an exaggeration, this series is the largest and most widely recognised within his oeuvre. In Waterfall (1964), thick white enamel forms a crisp fall of water against a saturated
Pg. 12 —
black ground and an abstracted cut-off corner, into a foaming pool of bubbling water; it is a definitive representation of the series. Toss Woollaston’s casually intimate and impressionistic portrait of Lesley Blucher (1942) strikes a significant chord in terms of its visually lyrical harmony, spatial intrigue and mastery of form. This work is a fine example of Woollaston’s portraiture from the first decade of his long career. Woollaston had no interest in doing lifelike portraits, stating that “One does not ever, in true painting, imitate objects. One paints objects, one paints paint.” Yet, in the case of Lesley Blucher’s portrait, Woollaston achieved both an ‘impressive likeness’ and an excellent picture. The Veil of St Veronica by Tony Fomison is a deeply evocative work on textured cotton, conceived after a relic at the Vatican. Certainly this work possesses something of a transcendental spirituality—it creates an unlikely and sublime interface between the Shroud of Turin and New Zealand’s own artistic iconography. Carrington Chair demonstrates Philip Clairmont’s interest in the spatial intensities of interiors and the theatrical drama of artificial light. Chairs are key icons in Clairmont’s practice and this work, with the distinct rendering of form, vibrant colour palette and vortex of energy channelling across the picture
ABOVE RIGHT
BELOW RIGHT
Lot 20 Max Gimblett One Stroke Bone, for Anthony Fodero $35,000—$55,000
Lot 2 Mary-Louise Browne Truly Madly Deeply $7,000—$9,500
LEFT
Lot 18 Colin McCahon Landscape, Titirangi $120,000—$140,000
ABOVE
Lot 26 Colin McCahon Landscape Theme and Variations (H) $165,000—$200,000
plane, is an exploration into the liberating power of painting and its unique ability to explore the subconscious. An important early painting by Pat Hanly, Fire on Earth, belongs to the Fire series of 1960, considered to be Hanly’s first major series of oil paintings. Painted in the midst of the Cold War while Hanly was living in London, Fire on Earth clearly speaks to the artist’s preoccupation with the precarious state of international relations and his attempt to deal with the horrifying possibility that whole countries could be obliterated with the remote deployment of a single warhead. In contrast, Hanly employs powerful universal symbols to present an opposing vision of hope, life and regeneration. — Pg. 13
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
TOP
Lot 13 Charles Tole Surf Club $45,000—$55,000
RIGHT
Lot 27 Milan Mrkusich Three Part Painting (Alchemical) $32,000—$42,000 TOP LEFT
ABOVE
Lot 11 Michael Parekowhai Portrait of Elmer Keith #1 $15,000—$25,000
Lot 23 Philip Clairmont Carrington Chair $50,000—$70,000
BELOW LEFT
Lot 30 Pat Hanly Fire On Earth $50,000—$70,000
Two works by senior abstractionist Milan Mrkusich are also included. Three Part Painting (Alchemical) (1993) and Meta Gold No. 1 (1969) psychologically absorb and detach the viewer through a process of expressionistic automatism, which speaks beautifully to the artist’s contribution to our modern narrative. The principles of New Zealand’s early modernist movement cannot be better presented than they are in Surf Club (1970) by Charles Tole. The architectural forms of the clubhouse lend themselves to the cubist treatment—all forms are simplified and stylised within a bright, multicoloured palette resulting in one of the artist’s most successful, mature works.
Pg. 14 —
LEFT
Lot 9 Pat Hanly Fire On Earth $50,000—$70,000
A small group of photographic works includes examples by Jae Hoon Lee, Heather Straka and Gavin Hipkins alongside two works by Laurence Aberhart which capture, respectively, snapshots of life in West Huntly and the reverential serenity of a Urewera marae. Marti Friedlander’s unguarded image of artists and friends, Tony Fomison and Philip Clairmont, provides a sociological, documentary record in the history of New Zealand art. The contemporary component of the sale is supported by 62 works from the collection of Nadene Milne; most of these were produced in the past decade and are featured in a stand-alone catalogue. This collection recounts its own narrative, offering insight into the collecting principles of a leading primary market gallerist.
— Pg. 15
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Introducing Wellington Consultant, Brian Wood We welcome Brian Wood as our representative in Wellington. With specialisation across both fine and decorative arts, Brian is available to provide collectors with a broad range of de-accession and collecting advice. Reflecting on his new role, Brian expresses that the opportunity to join the team at a time when the business is taking such an exciting new, globally-focused turn feels like being “embraced by a family, people who are genuinely passionate about art”, and creates huge potential for collectors and vendors alike to maximise their goals.
LEFT
Wellington consultant, Brian Wood, in his Eastbourne home. Pg. 18 —
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IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
As someone with such an intimate knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the New Zealand art scene, Brian is eager to connect with Wellington collectors. “I know how it is to embark on the thrill of the hunt whilst, on the flip side, balancing the need to make room for new things.” In her critically acclaimed work, Seven Days in the Art World, Sarah Thornton describes the art world as a “statusphere… structured around nebulous and often-contradictory hierarchies…”. Such an analytical approach to understanding the art world has become increasingly popular of late and encourages an understanding of art as existing between three functional spheres: those of creator, collector and market representative. Although seductive in its simplicity, this explanation is, nevertheless, grossly oversimplified. Brian Wood is Wellington’s very own living proof that this clear-cut division of the art world’s operating model could not be further from the truth. Brian lives in a magnificent Ian Athfield home in Eastbourne, Wellington. Comprising seven levels, it includes more than 16,000 recycled bricks and exists as a living, breathing testament to the potency of the sculptural and architectural form. Local iconicity aside, arguably the most striking aspect of the house is how perfectly it seems to align to Brian’s own aesthetic and appreciation for well-crafted objects. This home is a triumph of spatial and architectural creativity, and one has the sense that it is the only repository worthy of hosting Brian’s extensive and carefully amassed collection of objects and art. The passion with which Brian refers to the pieces inhabiting his home belies both the eye of a creator and the profound appreciation of a seasoned collector. To absorb the immediate surroundings is to know that he possesses the unique and inimitable eye of one who innately appreciates the process of creation and production. His passionate connection with his own collection is manifested in its presentation, particularly in the case of his speciality: New Zealand studio ceramics. As Brian describes it, “Collecting is part of who you are. I don’t collect for quantity; I’m quite specific about building a collection… it’s all about when things jump out at me and speak to me.”
ABOVE LEFT
Since returning to Wellington in 2014, Brian has had the opportunity to re-immerse himself in the Wellington art scene. Over this period, he has worked as a project manager and as a curator at The Dowse Art Museum; he has curated numerous exhibitions across the Wellington region and undertaken a significant fund-raising project. As someone with such an intimate knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the New Zealand art scene, Brian is eager to connect with Wellington collectors. “I know how it is to embark on the thrill of the hunt whilst, on the flip side, balancing the need to make room for new things.” More than anything, he is looking forward to learning about and telling the stories of Wellingtonians’ relationships with art, and to making personal connections. He is always happy to have a friendly chat and talk through your situation, and is able to offer specialised advice around how to build a collection (including long-term planning) tailored to individual preferences, aspirations and financial considerations. Brian is an ally of the collector and the artist, and his inside knowledge means he is also able to keep an eye out and alert his clients to items of interest as they arise on the market. Therein lies the essence of Brian’s remit: multidisciplinary, impassioned and in possession of unprecedented access and insights, both nationally and internationally. He is also happy to assist clients, on a case-by-case basis, across the lower North Island and he looks forward to hearing from you.
CONTACT
Brian's personal collection of early Mirek Smisek studio pottery.
Brian Wood Wellington Consultant
LEFT
P 021 298 1516 E brian.wood@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Brick stairwell in Brian's home. Pg. 20 —
The appointment of Brian as Mossgreen-Webb’s Wellington consultant is historically significant; having formerly worked for Webb's leading the valuation department and establishing a ceramics department.
— Pg. 21
10 -20 NOVEMBER FORT TAKAPUNA, DEVONPORT WWW.NZSCULPTUREONSHORE.CO.NZ
Bernie Harfleet and Donna Turtle Sarten - Max & Bella & Friends
Image courtesy of MONA
LUXURY ART EXPERIENCES
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To register your interest or to explore the unique itineraries of these beautifully curated and luxurious art adventures, please contact jenny@inart.com.au or on + 61 (0) 416 262 189. www.inart.com.au
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
The Roy Savage Collection of Classic Cars
Catalogue Online at theroysavagecollection.co.nz
4 December 2016 Southward Car Museum, Paraparaumu
From 1975, Roy Savage developed a collection of mostly British classic cars. Each car has the right to be called ‘classic’ because it has achieved some initial acclaim, while maintaining appeal in design and driving. He collected examples with low mileages, in original condition and with ownership and service records.
This collection of 30 cars is one of the most interesting ever to be auctioned in New Zealand, with highlights including a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 80SL Auto, a 1955 Jaguar XK140 FHC, a 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series 2, and a 1965 Austin-Healey BJ8 3000. Assembled over a period of 40 years, Savage's collection offers rare, original examples of the 20th-century automotive industry, with an emphasis on the post-war British period. His interest in machines and automobilia started when he was a young boy spending many of his holidays with his cousins on their family farm. He helped with the daily farming routine and thrived on handling the various implements and driving the farm’s vehicles. At age 15, he ‘adopted’ his mother’s Morris Minor and, soon, the proceeds from various after-school jobs allowed the purchase of his first vehicle, a James 125cc motorbike; this was later upgraded to a BSA B31 350cc. A sports car seemed to be the next logical step and an Allard Palm Beach filled that bill until marriage and a growing family meant a series of more practical cars was required. A friendship with car enthusiast Bill Pyne, and the purchase of his 1929 Model A Ford in 1975, inspired a new notion of owning ‘extra’ vehicles for recreational use. MG and Jaguar were the chosen marques at first, both inspired by boyhood images of Spitfire pilots and Stirling Moss. The collection will be auctioned at the Southward Car Museum, one hour north of Wellington, at 2.30pm on Sunday 4 December 2016. To browse the complete catalogue, visit theroysavagecollection.co.nz.
CONTACT
Mr. Savage with his 1930 Ford. The Ford features in the catalogue and has an estimate of $24,000 – $30,000. It is the only American car within the collection.
Pg. 24 —
Robert Richards Head of Motorcars, Motorcycles & Automobilia P +61 3 9508 8888 E robert.richards@mossgreen.com.au
— Pg. 25
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
From the Collection of Nadene Milne Monday 28 November, 6.30pm Fuelled by curiosity and a budding passion for art, Nadene started collecting seriously at the age of 26, acquiring works, which she would negotiate to pay off over several years, and forming relationships with prominent New Zealand dealers, artists and institutions along the way. Nadene’s connoisseurship for art grew organically and exponentially from this point. She describes her collecting ethos as having “a love for beauty, and that doesn’t mean pretty. I’m interested in mastery of materials and medium, and in the conceptual backstory of a work.” Her Arrowtown gallery was launched in 2001 and, since then, she has been representing some of New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists. Now, on the eve of a new venture in Christchurch, she is offering a selection of works from her personal collection—and these are featured in a stand-alone catalogue. This collection recounts its own narrative and offers insight into the collecting principles of a respected gallerist. It includes works by Seung Yul Oh, Fiona Pardington, Neil Pardington, Bill Culbert, collaborative duo Edwards + Johann, Sam Harrison, John Pule, Rohan Wealleans, Peter Madden, Francis Upritchard, Richard Lewer, Peter Robinson, Anne Noble, Peter Trevelyan, Yuk King Tan, Gregor Kregar, Damien Hirst, Mary-Louise Browne, Gavin Hipkins, John Reynolds, Stephen Bambury, Michael Hight, Chris Heaphy, Max Gimblett, Kelcy Taratoa, Julia Morison, Richard Killeen and many more.
This selection of works from the private collection of gallerist Nadene Milne offers a diverse survey of contemporary practice and an intimate glimpse into her collecting principles. On View
Daily from Tuesday 22 November
Evening Preview
Tuesday 22 November, 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Public Programme
Tuesday 22 November, 6.30pm
Join us to hear Peter Shand discuss how today’s art discourse is demonstrated in the contemporary works presented in the November auctions. Nadene Milne will also introduce key themes in her collection. Sunday 27 November, 2.00pm Join us to hear Nadene Milne discuss her collection of contemporary art. Nadene's informal presentation will examine the collecting principles of a respected primary market gallerist.
Lot 29 Seung Yul Oh PokPo $10,000—$15,000 Pg. 26 —
— Pg. 27
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Important Paintings & Contemporary Art Consigning Now April 2017 Entries are invited for an autumn auction of Important Paintings & Contemporary Art and placement in a luxury catalogue featuring significant works across celebrated New Zealand genres and periods.
The auction will showcase works by New Zealand’s most celebrated artists. Invited are works by New Zealand modernist artists as well as those by leading contemporary practitioners, contemporary photography and significant historical works, including portraits of tangata whenua by Charles Goldie and Gottfried Lindauer. International consignments are also invited for this sale. The large-format catalogue will include essays on all major works by leading academic writers.
Charles Frederick Goldie Kapi Kapi or Ahinata te Rangitautini oil on panel, signed C.F. Goldie and inscribed Auckland N.Z. in brushpoint lower right. Achieved: $360,375, 11 August 2016.
Contact Sophie or Briar for confidential market valuations, to discuss the sale process and to place consignments into the auction.
With a sale total of 1.9 million and a 100% sale rate for works with estimated values of more than $100,000, the previous sale in this category, held in August, demonstrated high engagement with collectors and a strong market for quality works. Appraisals are provided nationwide. Sophie Coupland and Briar Williams will be visiting main centres in early 2017.
CONTACT
CONTACT
Sophie Coupland Director, Fine Art
Briar Williams Art Department Manager
P 022 510 8766 E sophie.coupland@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
P 027 345 6765 E briar.williams@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Pg. 28 —
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Single-Owner Collections Single-Owner Collection auctions encompass all collecting fields, from fine art to jewels, photographs, motor cars, Asian arts, decorative arts, furniture, sporting memorabilia and stamps. What makes these auctions so special is that each one is unique, reflecting the taste and style of just one collector or family.
Forthcoming Single-Owner Sales The Roy Savage Collection of Classic Cars 4 December 2016 Important Asian Art Comprising Three Private Collections March 2017 Two Private Collections of Decorative Arts March 2017
Single-Owner sales held this year included a collection of luxury furnishings from a private Auckland residence which achieved 100% sold by lot and 234% sold by value. Mossgreen-Webb’s also offered Part III of The Sierd Bouma Collection comprising scientific, oceanic and nautical collectables, pocket watches, pottery, and one of the largest collections of cameras and photographic accessories to be offered at auction in New Zealand. Both sales attracted competitive bidding far in excess of the levels that would have been generated should the pieces have been included in a standard mixed-vendor sale. The sporting memorabilia collection of internationally acclaimed cricketer, Jack Ryder, was recently offered by our Australian sister company, Mossgreen. Highlights from this sale included a Sir Garfield Sobers Cricket Bat from 1968–69 which achieved $4,464 against a pre-auction estimate of $1,000 – $1,500 and Rod Marsh’s Australian Test Cap which achieved $8,060. The remainder of The Jack Ryder Collection will be sold by Mossgreen next year. For confidential advice on how best to present your collection to the market, contact James Hogan.
CONTACT
James Hogan Single-Owner Collections P 09 524 6804 M 021 510 477 E james.hogan@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz Pg. 30 —
A Very Fine Korean 17th Century Choson Cholsa Pottery Bottle Vase From a private collection of Asian art to be offered in March 2017. $3,000—$5,000 — Pg. 31
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
A2 Art Consigning Now 28 February 2017 The forthcoming A2 Auction, or Auction Tier Two, includes artworks with values of less than $20,000 from all periods and is a specialist sale category for contemporary editions, smaller works, sculpture and works on paper by leading contemporary, modern and historical New Zealand artists. European, continental and other international works are also offered. The first Mossgreen-Webb’s sale in this category, held in September, saw a retun to the A2 brand and a combined catalogue with decorative arts and jewellery. With a positive response from collectors to this format and excellent results across modern and contemporary practice, this sale reaffirmed our position in this ever-popular category. Entries are now invited for an A2 Art sale to be held on 28 February 2017. Entries close in mid-December. Contact Briar Williams for auction advice and to discuss consignment.
CONTACT
Briar Williams Art Department Manager
Sam Mitchell Untitled acrylic on Perspex, 400mm x 300mm
P 027 345 6765 E briar.williams@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
PROVENANCE Private collection, Melbourne.
Pg. 32 —
— Pg. 33
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Decorative Art Collections Consigning Now 19 March 2017 After the successful return to this sale category in September, Mossgreen-Webb’s is pleased to announce a further sale of Decorative Art Collections to take place in March 2017, for which entries are now invited. The March auction will comprise collections of decorative arts, covering a wide array of periods and styles, from early European antiques to pieces of mid-20th-century modernist design, including furniture and furnishings, such as mirrors, clocks, rugs, ceramics, porcelain and silver. In addition to a New Zealand sale programme, Mossgreen-Webb’s sells complete single-owner collections of Decorative Arts. We also offer vendors the opportunity to consign into quality Melbourne-based auctions, with specialists from Mossgreen making regular visits to main centres in New Zealand offering auction appraisals. Contact James Hogan for a complimentary auction appraisal and to discuss consignment.
CONTACT
James Hogan Single-Owner Collections P 09 524 6804 M 021 510 477 E james.hogan@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz Pg. 34 —
A 1920s French Style Regence Cupboard in Inlaid Walnut Veneer $800—$1,200 — Pg. 35
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Fine Jewels & Watches
Christmas Jewels
Forthcoming Sale 4 December 2016 Sydney
Forthcoming Sale 11 December 2016 Auckland
This will be the first Fine Jewels & Watches auction to be held in Mossgreen's new Sydney premises. This sale of over 200 lots includes: a rare 1960s stainless steel Heuer Carrera chronograph wristwatch; four Patek Philippe wristwatches, the highlight being a Gentleman’s 18ct white gold with salmon dial Gondolo dress watch; Patek Philippe’s contemporary interpretation of the Art Deco style; and a collection of early pocket watches including a gold quarter repeater by Henry Moser and gold hunter pocket watch by Glashutte & Vacheron Constantin.
Mossgreen-Webb’s is delighted to present Christmas Jewels, our final jewellery sale for the year. Taking place in Auckland on 11 December, the sale offers a range of contemporary jewellery, antique and vintage pieces, diamond jewellery and coloured stones.
The jewels offered include a Belle époque diamond tiara; a long baroque South Sea pearl rope with pave diamond clasp; an important Etruscan Revival gold bangle circa 1870 (boxed for Wendt of Adelaide); a pair of diamond stud earrings in European fittings each stone weighing 2 carats; two fine Lightening Ridge solid black opals; a striking gold and diamond collar by Henry Dunay, New York and many other antique and modern jewels.
Final entries are now invited for this sale. Contact Tam Fraser for an auction appraisal and to discuss consignment. Consignments close 18 November.
On View at Mossgreen-Webb’s 9 December, 11.00am – 5.00pm 10 December, 11.00am – 5.00pm 11 December, 11.00am – 1.00pm Catalogue online 5 December mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
On View at Mossgreen-Webb’s 18 November, 11.00am – 5.00pm 19 November, 11.00am – 5.00pm 20 November, 11.00am – 5.00pm Catalogue online at mossgreen.com.au
CONTACT
Tam Fraser Jewellery & Gem Specialist P 09 524 6804 E tam.fraser@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz Pg. 36 —
A Belle époque diamond tiara, circa 1915 AU$17,000—AU$20,000 — Pg. 37
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
Fine & Rare Wines 6 December 2016 Live Auction Fine & Rare Wines sales offer well-cellared and highly soughtafter wines from around the world. These sales include rare and vintage champagnes, wines from the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions, Sauternes, Italian wines, ports, spirits and cognacs. Products are offered from the leading wine regions of the world as well as from New Zealand’s most celebrated winemakers. The Fine Wine Collection of Saggio di Vino, held 20 September, experienced feverous bidding from the floor and internet achieving a sell-through rate of 92%. Furthermore, 18% of lots sold at or above the high estimate. The vendor of the collection, Christchurch restauranteur Yommi Pawelke, was delighted with the result.
18–23 November 2016 Online Auction This is a timed, online-only auction, which offers fine wines at prices that are lower than those charged by retail outlets. Bidding opens: 18 November 2016, 1.00pm Bidding closes: 23 November 2016, 1.00pm To bid, visit mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
CONTACT
Reece Warren Head of Fine & Rare Wines P 09 524 6804 M 021 465 554 E reece.warren@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz Pg. 38 —
— Pg. 39
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Important Paintings & Contemporary Art Tuesday 29 November 2016, 6.30pm
.CO.NZ — Pg. 41
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
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3. Peter Stichbury Glister giclée print on Ilford Gallerie gold paper, edition 73/100, 2008 signed P.Stichbury and dated '08 in pencil lower right, inscribed ed. 73/100 lower left 265mm x 230mm $3,500—$5,000
1. Laurence Aberhart Interior #1 "Eripitana" Te Whaiti Urewera 18 June 1982 gelatin silver print, 1982 inscribed Interior #1 "Eripitana" Te Whaiti Urewera 18 June 1982 in pencil verso 190mm x 242mm $2,500 —$4,500 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland, 1998.
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2. Mary-Louise Browne Truly Madly Deeply neon light, electrical hardware, 2011 475mm x 475mm $7,000—$9,500 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Bartley + Company, Wellington, 2011 EXHIBITED Auckland Art Fair, 2011, Bartley + Co
4. Heather Straka Betty - from the Do Not Resuscitate Series c-type photograph, edition 2/5, 2010 signed H.Straka, dated 2010, inscribed Betty and editioned 2/5 in pencil verso 780mm x 585mm $2,500—$3,500
— Pg. 43
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5. Roy Cowan Lantern Sculpture glazed stoneware 1060mm x 830mm x 240mm $6,000—$10,000PROVENANCE From the collection of the late Melvin and Oroya Day, Wellington.
This large Roy Cowan lantern sculpture comes from the collection of prominent New Zealand artist, the late Melvin ‘Pat’ Day, who died earlier this year. Roy Cowan, Juliet Peter and Melvin and Oroya Day were part of a rich artistic community based in Wellington; including Rita Angus, Ernst Plischke and many others. The Days and the Cowans were close friends who exchanged works and this particular sculpture has been in the Days’ garden since the 1970s. Honouring the artist’s wishes, the Day estate has recently gifted more than 70 works to public institutions, including Auckland Art Gallery and the Waikato Museum. This is one of only a few works to be made available for private purchase and is offered for the first time since it was created. Melvin Day was previously a director of the National Art Gallery of New Zealand (now the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) and, in 1978, was appointed as government art historian. In 2003, Day was awarded the CNZM for his services to the arts. BRIAN WOOD
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6. Marti Friedlander Tony Fomison and Philip Clairmont vintage gelatin silver print toned with gold, edition of 3, circa 1976 inscribed PHOTOGRAPHER MARTI FRIEDLANDER on artist's label affixed verso; inscribed Marti Friedlander, Fomison & Clairmont photograph in ink on original Temple Gallery label affixed verso 246mm x 170mm $7,000—$9,000
7. Michael Parekowhai The Bosom of Abraham screenprinted vinyl on fluorescent light fitting, 2001 1300mm x 210mm x 50mm $8,000 — $12,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington, 2001.
PROVENANCE Acquired by the present owner from Temple Gallery, circa 2008. NOTE Printed by the artist, circa 1976. Another print from this edition is held in the collection of the Christchurch Art Gallery, Te Puna o Waiwhetu.
— Pg. 45
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8. Ian Scott Lattice No. 101 oil on canvas, 1983 signed Ian Scott 83, dated February 1983, titled "LATTICE NO, 101." and inscribed 40" x 40" verso in ink verso. Artist’s catalogue number 229 inscribed in marker pen verso. 1140mm x 1140mm $8,000—$12,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland.
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IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
9. Elizabeth Thomson Astrophysics III #01 gesso on convex, circular shaped board with applied enamel on lost wax cast bronze, 2007 signed Elizabeth Thomson, dated 2007, inscribed Astrophysics III #01 in pencil verso 1200mm diameter $25,000—$35,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Page Blackie Gallery, Wellington, 2008.
— Pg. 47
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10. Allen Maddox Untitled oil on unstretched jute canvas, circa 1976 printed Untitled and dated c. 1976 on original Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland label affixed verso 910mm x 1900mm $15,000—$25,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland, from the estate of Allen Maddox.
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11. Michael Parekowhai Portrait of Elmer Keith #1 c-type print, edition of 10, 2004 printed Portrait of Elmer Keith #1 and dated 2004 on original Michael Lett, label affixed verso 1250mm x 1010mm $15,000—$25,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Michael Lett, Auckland. — Pg. 49
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12. Colin McCahon Waterfall enamel on hardboard, 1964 signed Colin McCahon, dated 1964, inscribed WATERFALL/SERIES 2. in marker pen verso 295mm x 295mm $60,000—$70,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney, 1993.EXHIBITED The Group, Christchurch, 1964. Martin Browne Fine Art, 20th Century Australian and New Zealand Painting, Sydney, June – June 1993 REFERENCE Colin McCahon database www.mccahon.co.nz, reference cm001519 .
By Colin McCahon’s eloquence as a writer was shown at its best in the notes he wrote about his Waterfall paintings in the catalogue for his 1972 Survey exhibition at Auckland City Art Gallery. His often-quoted words will bear repeating: ‘The waterfalls started flowing in 1964 and there were hundreds of them. They grew out of William Hodges’ paintings on loan to the Auckland City Art Gallery from The Admiralty, London…Hodges is my hero in all these paintings but the Fairy Falls in the Waitakares and Japanese and Chinese painting are the real influences later… Waterfalls fell and raged and became still as silent falls of light for a long time. I look back with joy on taking a brush of white paint and curving through the darkness with a line of white’ (p. 31). Hodges was the painter on James Cook’s third voyage and he painted waterfalls in Dusky Bay, Fiordland which McCahon, as deputy director of Auckland Art Gallery, had the opportunity to study up-close. His claim that there were ‘hundreds’ of his Waterfalls is certainly an exaggeration, though the series was one of his most numerous and over 90 are recorded on the on-line Database. They were first exhibited at Ikon Fine Arts in Lorne Street, Auckland in September 1964 in an exhibition called Small Landscapes and Waterfalls. There were 44 works in the show, though how many were Waterfalls and how many were Small Landscapes is not recorded. The exhibition was something of a breakthrough for McCahon in terms of popular acceptance. The good sales he experienced may have had something to do with the small size and comparatively
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low prices of many of the works. They ranged in price from 11 to 50 guineas with the majority being smaller, cheaper works. Many collectors acquired their first McCahon at this exhibition. Later that year six more Waterfall paintings were offered at the annual Group Show in Christchurch at 10 guineas and it is probable that the present work was one of these. The triangular wedge in the upper right corner of this painting is an interesting detail. Only two or three other Waterfalls share this feature while a few others have similar triangles at all four corners. This device links these paintings with the earlier abstract Gate series (1961-62) in which ‘corners off’ (in McCahon’s phrasing) is a familiar feature, possibly copied from Milan Mrkusich. It has the effect of ‘denaturalising’ the image, aligning it with abstraction not realism. Otherwise ‘curving through the darkness with a line of white’ is a wholly adequate and accurate description of the central image, the arc or ribbon slightly widening and gathering intensity of whiteness as it reaches the bottom. The agitation of the pool into which the water falls is delightfully suggested by a band of white spots and squiggles, the most naturalistic detail but also the one which is most reminiscent of Japanese practice, in this classically simple and beautiful painting, a ‘miracle of rare device’. PETER SIMPSON
— Pg. 51
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13. Charles Tole Surf Club oil on hardboard, 1970 signed CHARLES TOLE and dated '70 in brushpoint lower left; printed TITLE: SURF CLUB / NAME: CHARLES TOLE / ADDRESS: 12, Seaview Road, Remuera, Akld 5. / MEDIUM: OIL / SUPPORT: HARDBOARD / DIMENSIONS: 34" x 24 1/2"/ YEAR PAINTED: 1970 / SIGNED: Charles Tole / PRICE: on original typed artist's label affixed verso. 605mm x 850mm $45,000—$55,000 PROVENANCE Formerly in the collection of Les and Milly Paris, Wellington. Purchased by the present owner from the The Les and Milly Paris Collection, Art + Object, September 2012.
Charles Tole (1903–88) is an unusual example of an artist without formal training as he does not follow the naturalistic style favoured by most amateur artists. Instead, Tole engages with a more experimental approach related to that seminal movement of early modernism, cubism. Working with the Auckland-based Thornhill Group, he came under the influence of John Weeks, as did his older brother John, who probably initiated Charles’ efforts as an artist. Weeks, who had worked in Paris and had direct knowledge of cubism, introduced modernism to many fellow artists in New Zealand, as well as to his students at the Elam School of Fine Arts. The style that Charles Tole adopted is typical of that of later adherents to cubism, who concentrated on simplifying their paintings into the stylised forms that had initially given the movement its name—a derogatory reference to the little ‘cubes’ of analytic cubist works. The resulting, somewhat decorative, quality often associated with art deco in the mid-century, is heightened in Tole’s work because he avoids the limited, almost monochromatic, earth tones in Picasso’s and Braque’s still life and landscape studies of the end of the first decade. Tole preferred a brighter, multi-coloured palette, which recalls the post-cubist colour experiments of Orphism. Tole’s subject matter also differentiates him from the founder cubists as he particularly favoured urban and industrial scenes with the squared profiles of factory buildings and tall chimneys.
In Surf Club, while the subject is more recreational, the clubhouse lends itself to his cubist interests; the piled-up rectangular shapes of the superstructure are also reminiscent of a small boat, like those that children fashion from graduated blocks of wood. The composition is divided into planar bands, defining sea and land, while the foreshore of sand dunes and cliffs provides more organic forms that contrast with the strong horizontal lines and the rectilinear architecture. But, because they, too, are simplified and stylised, they complement the angular forms admirably, avoiding a reductive sense of geometry. As Tole and his brother put it: We have always been intensely interested in modern developments in style and technique, yet we think these elements should not be arbitrarily or consciously striven for but should emerge and flow freely from the subject matter and from the artist’s creative intuition towardsthe expression and communication of his message.1 He was near 40 when he first began painting but, although a late starter, Charles Tole had a long and productive career as an artist, still painting and exhibiting into his 80s. A show entitled Eight Paintings of 1974 through 1982 at the Peter McLeavey Gallery was picked out as a noteworthy exhibition by reviewer Avenal McKinnon in Art New Zealand 25 (1982–83). So although Surf Club, dated 1970, was painted when Tole was in his late 60s, it could be said that it is a mid-career work and it is an engaging example of his mature style. Elizabeth Rankin 1 www.aucklandartgallery.com
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14. Tony Fomison The Veil of Saint Veronica—After an Old Engraving of a Relic at the Vatican oil on cotton stretched over card in found frame, 1973 signed Tony Fomison, dated 7.4.73—Good Friday 1973 and coloured in on 16.5.73 and inscribed The Veil of Saint Veronica ~ after an old engraving of a relic at the Vatican in brushpoint on frame, inscribed This frame is old fashioned telephone wall bracket from the dining from of 10 Papanui Road (forgotten who) of Papanui Rd, (pulled down last year). Cloth stretched on photographers cards & prepared one heavy saturation coat Harns gelatine (at 2 way between size) glue proportions; one coat off white undercoat finally 2 coats of main separation ( separg) white. The black lamp (black) started 7.4.7 Sepia finished on Easter Eve 2021.4.73, Good Friday. Glazed in on 16.5.73. Rose Madder in a little bit Mars brown mixed with a little Rose Madder in ink on artist's label affixed verso. 190mm x 140mm $45,000—$55,000 PROVENANCE Private collection, Auckland. Purchased by the present owner from Webb’s, July 2012. Gifted to the previous owner by the artist, painted over Easter weekend 1973.
This exquisite small painting by Tony Fomison is a remarkable example of several made as versions after works by 15th and 16th-century European artists, including Simon Marmion, Andrea Mantegna, Luis de Morales, Piero della Francesca, Guercino, Caravaggio and Hans Holbein the Younger. He began these works, from reproductions, while in London in the late 1960s. They constitute what might be called Fomison’s tenebrist period, during which he painted at least 20 copies or versions of religious icons, especially Christs, in the late 1960s and early to mid-1970s. In these works, Fomison’s experiments with strong directional lighting, dramatic modelling of profile and the sculptural effects of meticulously graded dark tones are worked and reworked in successive versions. The Veil of St Veronica is unusual as well as typical in this company, in that it derives not from a painting but ‘after an old engraving of a relic at the Vatican’. This quoted phrase is from Fomison’s own inscription, which itself adds interest and value to the work. Nearly all Fomison’s paintings from 1969 to 1979 are carefully documented in logbooks that record, in detail, the dates, paint quantities and applications, mixes and so on; after 1979, when the logbooks cease, these records often appear on the backs of paintings. During the logbook decade, however, several paintings also have elaborate verso inscriptions or, as in this case, inscriptions minutely
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worked in brush point on the frame. The frame, too, is typically unusual. Fomison liked scavenged and recycled frames, or framing structures, and Veil of St Veronica is contained in an “old fashioned telephone wall bracket / from the dining room of 10 Papanui Road (forgotten who) of / Papanui Rd, (pulled down last year)”. The nature of Fomison’s interest in such religious images is an open question. However, his notes, inscriptions and comments reveal a fascination with the means of achieving their effects – or, if you like, the miraculous effects of transferring the positive image of Christ’s face to the ‘veil’ that Veronica gave Jesus to wipe his face with on the way to Golgotha. For The Dowse Art Museum survey exhibition of 1979, comparing his 1966 version of Head of Christ by Morales with the 1969 version, he commented, “If you compare this [1969] with [1966], you can see that the finer the texture I use to catch the washes on, the more detailed the image becomes”. There is a later version of this extraordinary little work: Study for a Veil of St Veronica. Started in Wellington November 1984. It was exhibited at Denis Cohn Gallery, Auckland, in 1984. I’ve never viewed this work but it would be interesting to see what version of the miracle Fomison accomplished 10 years after the first one. IAN WEDDE
— Pg. 55
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15. Sam Mitchell Paradise Lost acrylic on perspex, 2011 signed SAM MITCHELL, dated 2010, inscribed ‘PARADISE LOST’ and inscribed AUCKLAND N.Z. verso 1800mm x 800mm $10,000—$15,000 PROVENANCE Commissioned by the present owner in 2010.
16. Martin Poppelwell Study for Black Market oil on canvas, diptych, 2011 signed with initials MP, dated 2008, inscribed Study for Black Market (TRY TO IMPROVE YOUR FAILURE) T-RUST... ME) BEND OVER and © in brushpoint lower edge 1680mm x 2760mm overall, 1680mm x 1380mm each $18,000—$25,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from the Nadene Milne Gallery, Arrowtown, 2011. EXHIBITED Straka & Poppelwell, Nadene Milne Gallery, Arrowtown, December 2008.
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— Pg. 57
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17. Peter Stichbury Walter Whitlow acrylic on linen signed PETER STICHBURY, dated 2005, titled WALTER WHITLOW and inscribed ACRYLIC ON LINEN in brushpoint verso 1600mm x 1200mm $65,000—$85,000
The glossy allure of Peter Stichbury’s Walter Whitlow portrait is captivating. Therein lies an improbable combination of crisp linearity and ethereal perfection: a struggle between the detached soullessness and the fascinating psychological turmoil just beneath the surface of the work. These are the very qualities which render Stichbury’s work so charming and enigmatic. Depicted in the classic head-and-shoulders frontal pose (Stichbury’s preferred method of framing his sitters), Walter Whitlow possesses a fantastic, almost undefinable, beauty of the spirit and style that make the artist’s portraits so iconic and instantly recognisable. The radiance of the sitter’s youth, juxtaposed with his own brooding and seemingly aloof hauteur, renders him something of a Dorian Gray-type hero: a hero whose narrative we, as onlookers, crave to understand and which, short of our own conjecture and suppositions, evades us. As such, there is a palpable sense of unease with the way in which Walter’s precisely exacted and calculated beauty exudes something of haughtiness: a grandeur which compels the viewer into a psychoanalytical quest for understanding. As with many of Stichbury’s highly acclaimed paintings, there is a psychological prowess to this work, which suggests that a darker truth lurks below the fresh and dewy-faced complexion of this heavy-lidded youth. Walter’s clean-cut visage and impeccable attire are of such clean and perfect passivity that they reflexively seem to cast that passivity into doubt. The meticulously constructed
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features of the sitter assume, therefore, such an almost-incredible demeanour of perfection and innocence that we can only wonder about the existence of Walter’s darker, more-troubled side. If we take a step back and consider Stichbury’s work to be as a mirror unto (most evidently) pop culture and ourselves, but also unto the idea of beauty and celebrity, and something of an anthropological exploration, the potential of our own engagement with this portrait, and our relationship with the sitter, expands rapidly. The nomenclature of the portrait is a perfect example of this: on one level, there is a certain generic quality to the innocuously named Walter Whitlow. However, the implied literary reference to Walt Whitman cannot be foregone and calls to mind such words of Whitman’s as: And your very flesh shall be a great poem. Of all the Walter Whitman lines which could be considered alongside this work, this one, in particular, speaks volumes. For herein lies the essence of Stichbury’s artistic genius. Through the almost clinically detailed process of depicting Walter—a fictitious subject of the artist’s own conception—Stichbury has created something of infinite lyrical and poetic potential: a work whose relationship with each individual viewer will be forcibly, and brilliantly, unique. RACHEL KLEINSMAN
— Pg. 59
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18. Colin McCahon Landscape Titirangi oil on hardboard signed McCahon, dated 56 in brushpoint lower right 462 x 557mm $120,000—$140,000 PROVENANCE Janet Paul Collection, Christchurch, early 1970s. Passed by descent. Sold at Deutscher-Menzies, Melbourne, June 2003. REFERENCE Colin McCahon database www.colinmccahon.co.nz Reference, cm001209.
Living in the bush at Titirangi, from 1953 to early 1960, changed both life and art for Colin McCahon. Until then he had lived in the South Island, especially Otago, North Otago, Canterbury and various parts of Nelson. In his paintings of these regions he mostly stripped the land bare of trees, houses, roads etcetera in order to reveal the underlying structure of the land, a geomorphological approach, much influenced, indeed, by Charles Cotton’s classic book, Geomorphology, which he and Anne Hamblett were given as a wedding present in 1942. After the wide open spaces of the South, the Auckland landscape was a revelation to McCahon – warmer, wetter, more populous, clad in regenerating rain-forest, especially out west in the Waitakere Hills where the McCahons soon chose to live —inside the kauri forest, close to the shores of the Manukau Harbour at French Bay. For most of his seven years at Titirangi this land-and-seascape was his primary subject matter, as the titles of his major series suggest: Towards Auckland, Manukau, Kauri, French Bay, Titirangi. Some of these series were numerous and open-ended. For instance, the McCahon database lists more than 30 works with ‘Titirangi’ in their title. Since visiting Australia in 1951, McCahon had a long lasting love-affair with Cubism, in the principles of which he was briefly instructed in Melbourne by an elderly painter who had studied in Paris before 1914—Mary Cockburn Mercer. McCahon claimed to have learned more from her in three days than ever before, and immediately put his discoveries
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to work in the major triptych, On building bridges (1952, Auckland Art Gallery). He was still experimenting with Cubist ideas and techniques as he worked to come to terms with the radically new and different environment of the North. Some purists argue that McCahon had only a shaky understanding of Cubism; this may or may not be true but is largely beside the point; it worked for him. If he was in error it was a highly creative and productive error. And he did fully grasp the primary cubist perception that a painting should not be a description of reality —like the depiction of a view through a rectangular window— but a two dimensional arrangement of shapes, lines and colours which might (or might not) include elements taken from reality —clouds, sky, trees, for example—but organised and transformed by the artist so as to make a coherent and convincing picture. Landscape Titirangi was one of many in which the primary subject matter is the bush in the neighbourhood of the McCahons’ Titirangi house—what he called the ‘domestic environment’. A vestigial criss-crossing diagonal grid holds the work together, creating small irregular patches of colour –white, grey, green, ochre, blue —while the ragged saw-toothed bushline marks the porous and misty boundary between sky and earth. Not the kind of painting for which McCahon is best known, such Titirangi paintings as this are among his most enduringly popular and well–liked works, the products of a painter for whom for once in his life the secular and visible world of nature was intriguing and sufficient. PETER SIMPSON
— Pg. 61
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19. Milan Mrkusich Meta Gold No. 1 acrylic on board signed Mrkusich ‘69, title inscribed Meta Gold No 1 and dated 1969 in marker pen verso 330mm x 360mm $10,000—$15,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland, 1991. Pg. 62 —
20. Max Gimblett One Stroke Bone, For Anthony Fodero acrylic and vinyl polymers on shaped canvas signed © Max Gimblett, dated 2002 and inscribed One Stroke Bone, For Anthony Fodero in brushpoint verso 2040mm diameter $35,000—$55,000
PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland. EXHIBITED Max Gimblett: The Brush of All Things. Auckland Art Gallery. 19 June 2004 - 29 August 2004, City Gallery Wellington, 12 December 2004 - 6 March 2005
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21. Leo Bensemann Canterbury Landscape: Over Mount Torlesse oil on board, 1980 signed Leo Bensemann and dated 80 in brushpoint lower left; inscribed CANTERBURY LANDSCAPE, signed Leo Bensemann, dated 1980 and inscribed oil on board in black ink verso 855mm x 605mm $18,000—$25,000 EXHIBITED Leo Bensemann, Recent Paintings and Drawings. Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch, 3-21 August 1981, Cat. No. 1 ILLUSTRATED Douglas Lilburn. Canzona, Schola Musica, 1981, LP vinyl record cove.
In 1978, Leo Bensemann retired from the Caxton Press after 40 years as designer, printer and partner at the famous Christchurch publisher. Bensemann’s painting was necessarily confined to weekends and summer holidays, while his days and often evenings too were spent at his demanding job. Even so, during these four decades, Bensemann exhibited more than 130 works at annual shows of The Group, which were the main outlet for his art. During these years, he held only one solo exhibition – a retrospective at the Pompallier Gallery in Akaroa in 1972. After retirement, Bensemann greatly increased his output as a painter and, during his last years (he died in 1986), mounted three more solo exhibitions – in 1979 and 1981 (at Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch), and in 1983 (at Galerie Legard, Wellington) – which added a further 60 or so works to his output. In these exhibitions, landscape (a mode to which he came late, mostly after 1960) was the predominant genre and oils on board his primary medium. Of the works in these three shows, 38 were oil landscapes, mostly of scenes in Canterbury and Takaka/ Golden Bay. The former is where he lived (on Huntsbury Hill overlooking the city and the plains); the latter is where he grew up and where he spent his summer holidays from 1965 onwards. In his 1979 show, all the landscapes were of Takaka/Golden Bay subjects but, in 1981, he combined Takaka/Golden Bay with Canterbury subjects, before reverting largely to Takaka in 1983. Canterbury Landscape: Over Mount Torlesse was listed as No. 1 in Bensemann’s 1981 show, Recent Paintings and Drawings, forming
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a pair with No. 2, the slightly smaller Canterbury Landscape: Over Mount Hutt. Both paintings depict the view from near his home: in the foreground, the lower slopes of the Port Hills and, in the middle distance, the vast Canterbury Plains, stopped suddenly by the mighty stretch of the Southern Alps. Meanwhile, towering above them, is a huge sky and the giant arch of rippled clouds signifying a nor’-wester. Mount Hutt is a winter painting – the mountains are blanketed with snow – while Mount Torlesse is a summer painting – the mountains are (in Trevor Moffitt’s words) “sharply focused and steely blue in colour” (Landfall 138, June 1981, p. 148); the former is in landscape format while the latter (unusually for a landscape painting) is in portrait format. The tall format of Canterbury Landscape: Over Mount Torlesse emphasises the vast height of the sky and the spectacular and exquisitely delineated cloud formation, which together occupy almost three-quarters of the picture – an unusual arrangement for a landscape painting in which it is more usual for these proportions to be reversed. This bold and dramatic painting is the culminating vision of an artist who looked out across the plains to the mountains every day for decades, observing attentively the particular cloud patterns that occur when foehn winds create these familiar but unique formations. It is a classic representation of the most idiosyncratic, natural feature of the Canterbury region and one of Leo Bensemann’s finest paintings. PETER SIMPSON
— Pg. 65
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22. Grahame Sydney Slow Sign egg tempera on board, 1975 signed Grahame Sydney and dated 1975 in brushpoint lower left; inscribed "SLOW SIGN" (Wedderburn) EGG TEMPERA ON SIZED GESSO 1/4 HARDBD STUDIES DRAWN 10/11 APRIL 75 PRINTED 4-18 MAY 1975, DUNEDIN and signed in marker pen verso; Dunedin Public Art Gallery exhibition label attached verso; Robert McDougall Art Gallery exhibition label attached verso 545mm x 595mm $120,000—$150,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Peter Webb, Barrington Gallery, July 1975.
EXHIBITED On The Road: 35 Paintings by Grahame Sydney. Toured by Hocken Library, University of Otago, Dunedin, 1999-2002. Pataka, Porirua Museum of Arts and Cultures, Porirua; Hawkes Bay Exhibition Centre, Hastings; Suter Art Gallery, Nelson; Millennium Public Art Gallery, Blenheim; Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch; Auckland Art Gallery Toi ō Tamaki, Auckland; Southland Art Gallery, Invercargill; Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru; Ashburton Art Gallery, Ashburton; Rotorua Museum of Art & History, Rotorua; Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North. Grahame Sydney, Paintings and Drawings. Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch 1977. Catalogue no. #7.
ILLUSTRATED Caughey, Elizabeth and Gow, John. Contemporary New Zealand Art 2. David Bateman, Auckland. 1999, p. 72. Sydney, Grahame: and collaborators. The Art of Grahame Sydney. Longacre Press, Dunedin. 2000, p. 45. Sydney, Grahame: and collaborators. Timeless Land. Longacre Press, Dunedin. 1995, pp 16-17. Grahame Sydney: Paintings and Drawings. Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch. 1977, p. 3.
There is good reason to believe that Grahame Sydney placed a special importance on this painting since in at least two early survey exhibitions, at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery in 1981 and at the Robert McDougall Gallery in 1982, he placed it as Number 1 in the catalogue. It had already been shown at the McDougall Gallery in 1977 when it was on the cover of his Paintings & Drawings catalogue. It has also been reproduced in several books, including Elizabeth Caughey and John Gow’s Contemporary New Zealand Art 2 (1999) and in Timeless Land by Graham Sydney, Owen Marshall and Brian Turner, a book that has been reprinted five times. All this attention and recognition signifies a major work by an important painter and it thoroughly deserves its status. It is a knock-out work, a classic example of Grahame Sydney at his best. What makes it so memorable? Partly it is the monumentalizing of something so ordinary – an old railway sign wrapped in a ragged piece of cloth which obscures the words presumably written on its dirty white surface; probably SLOW, given the title of the work, though the title is deliberately ambiguous and multiple in its connotations (Sydney didn’t study literature at university level for nothing). Then there is the tremendous Central Otago land-and-skyscape against which the sign stands (the low point of perspective emphasizing its height) – a featureless brown plain, vast and empty, through which railway tracks, probably disused, run from the Pg. 66 —
bottom right corner into the middle of the picture, the point where sign, hills and sky coincide. And what a sky – huge, moody, subdued in colour, folded like a grey blanket and feathered at the edges – a remarkable act of observation and recording. The whole painting is a symphony in quiet and muted tones, ineffably melancholy in its sense of abandonment and decay, but majestic, too. It is tempting to try to unpick some of the connotations of the image and title. It is a painting of a sign, but a sign whose meaning is covered up, obscured. A sign which in one sense does not signify, but in another sense is eloquent in its ramifications. The old sign dominates the painting as the cross does in a Crucifixion scene. Is this resemblance intended or not? ‘Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee’ (Matthew 12, 37). And Jesus replied, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it‘(12. 39). Is Sydney’s poetic image that of a world abandoned by God and man, a world in which no sign is given? Whether or not such metaphysical speculations are relevant the painting stands apart from them wholly satisfying in its conception and execution, fully justifying the slow, painstaking process of working with multiple layers of tempera pigment, stiffened with egg-yolk, just as used by the old masters.
PETER SIMPSON — Pg. 67
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23. Philip Clairmont Carrington Chair oil on jute canvas signed with initials PC (indistinctly) in brushpoint lower left 1360mm x 890mm $50,000—$70,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Webb’s, July 1997. REFERENCE NZ on Screen, Profiles, Philip Clairmont, television, 1981.
Although he was to die very young, Philip Clairmont (1949-1984) had already attained prominence as an artist in his twenties, with works acquired for important collections. One bought by the National Gallery in 1978, The Scarred Couch, ‘immediately became one of the signature works of the collection’, according to Ron Brownson, who describes it as a work of ‘extraordinary drama, … almost erotic in its material sensuousness’ (in McAloon, William Art at Te Papa, 2009, p.321). It was unsettling neo-expressionist images like this that made Clairmont’s name, and Carrington Chair is no exception. It seems a paradoxical approach for the subject of a chair, usually associated with quiet rest and inactivity. Clairmont’s chair is far from inert. It is enlivened in part because it is presented from the rear at an odd angle, so that it does not seem symmetrical, its legs splayed and without any firm foundation to stand on, and its backrest skewed. But above all, it is the chair’s colour that makes it idiosyncratically animated. Although darker than the rest of the painting, the deeper tones are interrupted by passages of intense colour – primary reds, yellows, blues – that create an unstable almost hallucinatory image, heightened in the artificial light by which Clairmont invariably worked. Dominated by radiant golden tones and even more vivid than the chair itself, the background is a swirl of abstract forms – arcs, spikes and chevrons – which jostle with each other in vibrant discord, so that the whole picture plane is activated, and the eye of the viewer is constantly on the move. A painting of a chair inevitably reminds us of Van Gogh’s famous painting, Vincent’s Chair of 1888, although this one is closer to his
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less well-known companion piece, Gauguin’s Chair, in both the form of the chair and the fact that it is a night piece. Many paintings have paid homage to these works, coincidentally My Chair (1956) by Rudolf Gopas, possibly the most influential of Clairmont’s teachers when he attended the Ilam School of Art in Christchurch from 1967 to 1970, where Gopas introduced his students to Expressionism. Van Gogh’s chairs were clearly meant as surrogate portraits of the artist and Gauguin and their stormy relationship at Arles, and they afford insight into how we might read Clairmont’s paintings of furniture, which are no domestic genre studies – most especially perhaps this chair, named for the Carrington Psychiatric Hospital that witnessed many episodes of Clairmont’s addictions and disturbed mental state. In an interview for Screen NZ Profiles in 1981 (where Carrington Chair can be seen in studio shots), Clairmont spoke of how the specific objects he painted, however battered and old, had acquired importance – a certain ‘mana’. His many chair studies endow them with a corresponding vitality, almost a personality. It is revealing that, in speaking of another painting that he was busy with in 1981, a window study, Clairmont said it provided ‘an internal view – of the inside of my head perhaps’. It suggests that Carrington Chair is more than a portrayal of a chair; it is in many ways an autobiographical portrait of the artist himself.
ELIZABETH RANKIN
— Pg. 69
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24. Colin McCahon Jump (E23) synthetic polymer paint on unstretched jute canvas mounted on board, 1976 signed C.McC., dated '76 in brushpoint lower left, inscribed (E23) in brushpoint lower right 920mm x 633mm $165,000—$200,000 PROVENANCE Sold Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch, 1982. Sold Dunbar Sloane, Wellington, August 2008. Sold Deutscher-Menzies, Melbourne, May 2001. ILLUSTRATED Johnston, Alexa. Colin McCahon: Gates and Journeys, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, 1988, p. 81. Brown, Gordon. Colin McCahon: Artist, A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd, Wellington, 1984, p. 166. REFERENCE Colin McCahon database www.colinmccahon.co.nz, reference cm000889.
McCahon’s Jump (E23) is a beautiful and most intriguing work. Although clearly located within the Jump series, as identified by its number E23 (all the Jump paintings are designated with the prefix ‘E’) and first exhibited in the exhibition Jumps and Comets – related events in my world at the Barry Lett Galleries in 1974, it differs in significant and surprising ways from other works in the series. The word ‘JUMP’ is not used on the painting, nor does it contain the dotted or serrated lines present in all other Jump paintings; nor is unambiguously a landscape image as other Jump paintings are, though it does include some indubitable landscape elements such as the dark band of cloud at the top or the horizontal line across the middle of the painting which is distinctly horizon-like (especially given the delicate thin line of blue). Instead of reading the painting primarily as landscape it is helpful to reverse the figure/ground relationship and simultaneously read the image (semiotically) as a visual sign. According to this way of reading (which doesn’t exclude but complicates the ‘landscape’ reading by adding additional layers of meaning (a feature of McCahon’s work in the Muriwai period), the bluish/ lavender shape reads as a giant I or ONE; the I becomes the figure not the ground. Read this way the painting is primarily a religious statement about the power of God, as represented in some other paintings by the words I AM. In this respect E23 closely resembles paintings in the earlier Necessary Protection series (1971-72) which preceded Jumps by a couple of years.
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Necessary Protection was a huge series which abstracted the unique landscape features of Muriwai (cliff and island pinnacle), and deliberately exploited figure/ground ambiguities. The paintings read simultaneously as abstracted landscapes and as ‘sign’ paintings, with the ‘figure’ being either I or T depending whether the rectangular blocks forming the ‘ground’ extend to the bottom of the painting or stop short of it, as in E23. In the catalogue to Necessary Protection McCahon wrote: ‘The symbols are very simple. The I of the sky, falling light and enlightened land, is also ONE. The T of the sky and light falling into a dark landscape is also the T of the Tau or Old Testament cross’. Seen in this context the essential character of E23 falls into place. Another element in Necessary Protection was the notion of the earth and humanity as needing ‘protection’ both in an environmental and a more spiritual sense. This element of care is present in E23 in the fragility and tenderness of the colouring, especially the faint washes of lilac colour which seep downwards from that unexpected blue line, faintly staining the raw canvas in striking contrast to the thickly outlined open rectangles. It is exquisitely rendered. E23 is in every way a rich and subtle work, distinctive both in colour and form – a belated Necessary Protection painting which has ‘jumped’ into a different series. PETER SIMPSON
— Pg. 71
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25. Jude Rae Counterpoint oil on canvas, 1996 signed Rae, dated 96 and title inscribed "Counterpoint" in pencil verso 1500mm x 1500mm $25,000—$35,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Fox Jensen, Auckland, circa 2001.
When Jude Rae first arrived in New Zealand from Australia in 1989 the position of painting, in an ever more diverse art world, felt increasingly precarious. With hindsight of course it wasn’t and indeed painting continues to be the dominant medium despite the capacities that new technologies have added. The conundrum of what to paint however persisted. Rae’s decision, or rather impulse was to paint the linen itself. What followed was a major group of over many years where the canvas or linen that was yet to be stretched, was painted in various configurations. It was presented as compressed, folded and scrunched within the limits of the stretcher. Rae’s capacity for modeling these folds and undulations seemed unprecedented. Her skillful chiaroscuro and tonal adjustment immediately set itself aside from the increasingly diffident school of painting that was proliferating These drapery paintings of Rae’s are clearly observational in nature but also managed to carry a strong metaphorical weight. The notion of linen, clothing or bed linen and the absence of the body suggested that these were in fact paintings of bodies in absentia. Some works in particular seemed to be loaded with a more intimate bodily reference in their folds and tucks.
Though Rae has gone on to make the Still Life the dominant series within her practice, these drapery paintings remain a pivotal moment for her. Jude Rae would resist the notion that either the drapery paintings or the Still Life for that matter have any narrative responsibility. For Rae it is the close observation of objects and through that the deeper understanding of vision that fascinates her. Whether it is a drapery painting form this period or the later Still Life works Rae’s ability to let us perceive something other in the apparently mundane or at least familiar is a very special quality. In Jude Rae’s 1995 painting, Counterpoint, the composition not only describes the folding of the drapery but it also suggests, perhaps more strongly than most all of her drapery paintings, that the linen Rae is painting, is in fact the linen upon which she paints. Stretched across the diagonal of the painting, the composition becomes taut and dynamic, offering less of the puckering and bodily imprint that is implied by the deeper folds and topography of many of these works. However without these implications the work speaks more clearly to the uncertainty around the position of painting or at least in Rae’s mind stands at the junction of that “rhetorical” part of her questioning and exploration, and her recognition the following year that Still Life was a kind of "laboratory of painting" in its own right. ANDREW JENSEN
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26. Colin McCahon Landscape Theme and Variations (H) oil on unstretched jute canvas inscribed H verso in brushpoint 1770mm x 830mm $165,000—$200,000 PROVENANCE The Les and Milly Paris Family Collection, Wellington. Purchased by the Paris family from Peter McLeavy Gallery, Wellington, 1975. Sold Webb’s, June 1995. Purchased by the present owner from Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney, 1997.
EXHIBITED McCahon, A Landscape Theme with Variations. Ikon Gallery, Auckland 14-31 May 1963. A Private View: works from the Paris Family Collection, The Dowse Art Gallery 28 April – 29 May 1977. Hit Parade Exhibition, Auckland City Art Gallery 13 December 1993 – 7 March 1994. REFERENCE Colin McCahon database www.mccahon.co.nz, reference cm001101.
ILLUSTRATED Green, Anthony. Bulletin of New Zealand Art History, No. 2, 1974, “Colin McCahon’s Paintings and Drawings at the Ikon Gallery.”
Colin McCahon’s exhibition A Landscape Theme with Variations, in which this strong work was first shown, was held at Ikon Gallery, Auckland, in May 1963, simultaneously with the large Woollaston/McCahon Retrospective Exhibition at Auckland City Art Gallery in 1963. McCahon wrote to John Caselberg: ‘This exhibition [i.e. the Retrospective] really puts both Toss & myself into the “has been” class. None the less I am naturally pleased & hope to correct many ideas by the new work at Don [Wood’s Ikon] gallery’ (Peter Simpson, Answering Hark, 2001, p. 95). As well as countering the ‘has been’ notion, the Ikon show was a reaction to the mainly negative response to the geometric abstractions of McCahon’s previous two exhibitions – at The Gallery, Auckland (later called the Ikon) in 1961, and at the CSA in Christchurch in 1962. These were devoted to the Gate series paintings, while the latter show also included the huge 16-panel Second Gate Series (now in Te Papa), which the critics, on the whole, disliked. The Press wrote, ‘The Gate series fails because the panels are mostly slight and boring as paintings’. McCahon reacted (as reported) in a 1963 talk: ‘The paintings misfired, and this worried him. Came to the conclusion that it was essential to find a way of communicating to people. He must go back again and start from scratch – to the [1940s] Otago Peninsula paintings in fact’ (Simpson, p. 94). McCahon told Caselberg that Landscape Theme and Variations was ‘a return to “realist” painting but a realism impossible without the previous work’ (Simpson, p. 95). Two large series: ‘A’ (now in Auckland Art Gallery) and ‘B’ (now in Te Papa Tongarewa), each consisted of eight panels on unstretched canvas hung with their
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edges touching. There were also a number of separate paintings, which McCahon referred to as ‘spares’; these were identical in medium and size and were numbered ‘C’ to ‘I’, including the present work, ‘H’. McCahon said: ‘…none of these paintings is of any actual landscape. Certainly the landscape is New Zealand but in an amalgam of both North and South. Nor is this the tourist’s landscape we so often see painted. I am dealing with the essential monotony of this land, with variations on a formal theme, and again, as in the Northland panels of some years ago, a “landscape with two few lovers” ’ (A Question of Faith, 2002, p. 200). In the commentary on his 1972 Survey exhibition McCahon commented further: ‘They were painted to be hung about eight inches from floor level. I hoped to throw people into an involvement with the raw land, also with raw painting. No mounts, no frames, a bit curly at the edges, but with, I hoped, more than the usual New Zealand landscape meaning…’ (A Survey, 1972, p. 30). ‘H’ has close affinities with the Series ‘A’, in which all but one of the eight panels features arcing headlands – some single, some double (as in ‘H’) and some triple. The headlands at top and bottom of the picture are formed by opposing arcs (from right and left edges) with a dark plain in between. The hills are vigorously painted and are tawny greenish-ochre in colour. The dark plain between them is highlighted by touches of blue, green and purple; it echoes in shape (mirror image almost) and contrasts in colour with a patch of pale sky, with a dark border of cloud at the top. Wonderfully satisfying in its formal balance; it is also a brooding, imposing and monumental painting, which shows the artist at the top of his game. PETER SIMPSON
— Pg. 75
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28. Laurence Aberhart Twenty Seconds, Evening, West Huntly 17th Feb 1994 gelatin silver print, 1994 inscribed Twenty Seconds, Evening, West Huntly 17th Feb 1994 and inscribed From Waikato Aura: The People and The River Waikato Museum of Art History in pencil verso 190mm x 242mm $2,500—$4,500 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland, 1998.
29. Jae Hoon Lee Salvation #2 digital photograph, edition 1/5, 2006 1065mm x 1065mm $4,000—$6,000
27. Milan Mrkusich Three Part Painting (Alchemical) acrylic on canvas, triptych 1993 signed Mrkusich, dated '93 and inscribed THREE PART PAINTING (Alchemical) 1993 Version I First Panel in pencil verso inscribed THREE PART PAINTING (Alchemical) 1993 Centre Panel Version I in pencil verso inscribed THREE PART PAINTING (Alchemical) 1993 End Panel Version I in pencil verso 460mm x 460mm each $32,000—$42,000
PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Starkwhite, Auckland.
PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Sue Crockford Gallery, Auckland.
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30. Pat Hanly Fire on Earth oil on board, 1960 signed P. Hanly and dated 60 in brushpoint lower right, inscribed FIRE ON EARTH and signed P. HANLY in marker pen verso / inscribed "FIRE ON EARTH" HANLY THE GALLERY 64 SYMONDS STREET AUCKLAND in marker pen in another hand verso, title inscribed / FIRE ON EARTH and dated 1960 on original Gallery One, London gallery label affixed verso 1175mm x 885mm $50,000—$70,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Barry Lett Gallery, Auckland, 1968. ILLUSTRATED O’Brien, Gregory. Hanly. Ron Sang Publications, Auckland, 2012. pp 36 - 37.
An important early painting by Pat Hanly, Fire on Earth belongs to the Fire series of 1960, which is considered to be Hanly’s first major series of oil paintings. Significantly, these paintings, including Fire on Earth, introduced many of the formal and chromatic elements, and the themes, that have become characteristic of Hanly’s artistic practice. Painted in the midst of the Cold War while Hanly was living in London, Fire on Earth clearly speaks to the artist’s preoccupation with the precarious state of international relations and his attempt to deal with the horrifying possibility, for the very first time in history, that whole countries could be obliterated with the remote deployment of a single warhead. Not surprisingly, the climate of the Cold War was one of pervasive anxiety and panic, as the fear of imminent nuclear destruction blanketed much of the world. In Fire on Earth, this potential reality is conceived as a fiery, apocalyptic dreamscape. The orange-red orb of the sun hangs in the sky like a large fireball, dominating much of the painting as it casts both landscape and sky in a burning, tempestuous rage. Atomic warfare is perhaps most literally signposted in the bottom left-hand corner, where two amorphous forms are highly evocative of the distinctive mushroom cloud seen after nuclear detonation. In the centre of the painting, the pressure of these nuclear explosions seems to have knocked a small, two-windowed house sideways. It leans beneath the weight of a streaking comet or,
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perhaps, the roof is on fire but, either way, it remains pointedly intact and upright. Indeed, Fire on Earth is not wholly concerned with the destruction of man and the end of the world for several key elements in the painting speak of hope, life and regeneration. The scorching sun is an evocation of nuclear calamity but, as Gregory O’Brien succinctly notes, it “represents poetic inspiration” while the single verdant tree simultaneously represents “the tree of life”.1 By employing such powerful universal symbols, Hanly imbued the painting with a central element of solace, reassuring the viewer that, despite living in such uncertainty, there was still cause for courage, optimism and a baseline faith in humanity. In this, Fire on Earth is indicative of Hanly’s approach to painting more generally for he repeatedly chose to harness his artistic talents to highlight social, political and/or environmental injustices. Rather than being bleak and fatalistic, however, Hanly was possessed of the unique ability to be able to craft a painterly dialogue that was highly conscionable, yet also thought-provoking and reaffirming. Irrespective of subject, Hanly’s preferred palette remained bright, saturated and vibrant while his application of paint was typically loose and lyrical, leaving a surface that was textured and inviting. The result, as seen in Fire on Earth, is paintings that are at once aesthetically engaging and culturally reflexive. JEMMA FIELD 1 Gregory O’Brien, Pat Hanly, Ron Sang Publications, Auckland, 2012, p. 29
— Pg. 79
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31. Ralph Hotere Black Window: Towards Aramoana acrylic, burnished steel and lead nails in Colonial villa frame, 1983 title inscribed Black Window: Towards Aramoana, signed in paint and dated '83 lower left; inscribed Port Chalmers Painting, signed and dated 83 in paint pen verso 930mm x 915mm $60,000—$90,000
PROVENANCE Private collection, Australia. Purchased by the current owner from Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch. 1984. EXHIBITED Ralph Hotere: Recent Paintings, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch, 1983.
Featuring highly reflective steel, large lead-head nails and a wooden sash-window frame, Black Window: Towards Aramoana is instantly recognisable as the work of Ralph Hotere. More specifically, it is representative of his Aramoana series, from the early 1980s, which opposed the planned aluminium smelter at Aramoana, just north of Dunedin. In conjunction with several other artists, performers and psychologists, Hotere focused his artistic output from this period on the preservation of the unique natural ecology of the sand dune spit, and the small settlement towns of Aramoana and Te Ngaru. A firm sense of time and place is branded into the Aramoana works through Hotere’s use of locally salvaged materials and, in pieces like Black Window: Towards Aramoana, the geographical specificity is carefully reinforced through the inscribed title. As with most work by Hotere that features text, its inclusion here is measured and poignant. While the lines “Towards Aramoana” and “Hotere Port Chalmers ’83” are all executed in Hotere’s own hand and are orientated the right way, the words “Black Window” have been purposefully written backwards, slightly obscuring the legibility and placing the focus firmly on looking at, and towards, Aramoana. As well as anchoring the artwork in the Aramoana of 1983, Hotere’s material choices in Black Window: Towards Aramoana add a considered and complex aesthetic dimension. As is the case with many works in the series, the viewer is greeted by a piece of polished steel that glistens, shimmers and seems to undulate, subtly reflecting the changes occurring in the exterior world of light and form. In the very centre of this dynamic panel, Hotere has carved
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a linear pattern/design using a blowtorch. These perpendicular lines remain elusive and ambiguous; potentially, they are the remnants of a truncated cruciform—a motif that repeatedly makes its mark on Hotere’s artistic practice. Or, perhaps, they speak to the physical act of crossing out, of erasing the landscape view that will cease to fill the window frame if the smelter consortium is allowed to wreak havoc on the port of Dunedin. Either way, burnt into the metal, the two lines further activate the steel ground by altering its thickness and denying the surface luminosity, which is similarly achieved by the border of nails that beads along three of the edges. In marked contrast to this metallic segment are the painterly strips of black, white/grey and red that demarcate its edge. Roughly brushed in places, areas of gestural marks and scumbling abound, while the grey section also supports a quantity of stencilled letters and numbers, which have been applied in reverse and in the correct alphabetical or numerical order. Beyond the painted borders is the wooden frame, which, by its very nature, remains impervious to changes in light or activity beyond itself. The markedly evocative variance of materials in such works as this have been aptly captured by Cilla McQueen, a poet and Hotere’s second wife, who wrote of Hotere having “taken the hardest stuff he can find and forced steel into silky disappearing light held in by weathered velvet wood jewelled with nails”.1 JEMMA FIELD 1 Cilla McQueen, “Baby Iron” in Gregory O’Brien (ed.), Hotere: out the Black Window, Wellington, 1997, p. 114
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32. Robert Jahnke I Am A Law Unto Myself lacquer on stainless steel 1000mm x 1000mm $12,000—$16,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Bath Street Gallery, Auckland, 2011. EXHIBITED Auckland Art Fair, 2011. Bath Street Gallery, Auckland.
33. Gavin Hipkins Empire (Ship III) c-type print, edition 1/3, 2007 signed GAVIN HIPKINS and dated '07 in pencil on label affixed verso 1000mm x 1000mm $3,000—$4,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Starkwhite, Auckland. EXHIBITED Starkwhite, Auckland, 2008. ILLUSTRATED Palmer, Daniel. Empire: Gavin Hipkins. Rim Books in association with Hamish McKay and Starkwhite, Auckland. 2008, p. 7.
34. Paul Dibble The Innocents cast patinated bronze, 2011 signed Paul Dibble and dated 2011 in etching on base 250mm x 400mm x 200mm $6,000—$9,000 NOTE This sculpture has been donated by Paul Dibble to Mondiale Life Pod, and proceeds of this sale will be used by the charity to fund their life-saving incubators. Mossgreen-Webb's will donate the full vendor's commission to the cause. See thelifepod.co.nz.
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35. Greer Twiss Distortion 2 cast bronze sculpture with applied enamel, 1968 signed GREER TWISS, dated 68, title inscribed Distortion 2 and inscribed Cat 19 in brushpoint on underside of base 115mm x 192mm x 75mm $2,000—$3,000
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36. Toss Woollaston Portrait of Lesley Blucher oil on board, 1942 signed Woollaston and dated 1942 in brushpoint lower left 620mm x 470mm $25,000—$35,000 ILLUSTRATED Barnett, Gerald. Toss Woollaston: An Illustrated Biography. National Art Gallery, Wellington, 1991, p. 53. PROVENANCE Held on long-term loan at the Waikato Museum, Te Whare Taonga O Waikato until 2016.
Woollaston’s house, c. 1942. Rodney Kennedy Collection, Hocken Library, Dunedin. Illustrated in Barnett, Gerald. Toss Wollaston, an illustrated biography, National Art Gallery, Ramdon Century, 1991, p. 53.
For Toss Woollaston and his family, 1942 was a significant year: his wife, Edith, gave birth to their third child and only daughter, Anna; his mother, Charlotte (née Tosswill), died after a long illness; and, in this third year of World War II, Woollaston was called up for service in the armed forces. He appealed and was eventually granted exemption because of family responsibilities and because orchard work – he was employed on the apple orchard of Decimus Wells in Mapua – was considered an essential occupation. Among the few works he completed that year were an oil of Edith, Woman with a Lamp, now in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, and a portrait drawing in ink of himself wearing a straw hat, now in Hocken Collections. Also in 1942, the family of Decimus Wells was visited from the North Island by a 14-year-old niece, Lesley Blucher, for the school holidays. Woollaston, always opportunistic in seeking new subjects among family, friends and neighbours, painted a portrait of the visiting schoolgirl which, apart from being on loan to Waikato Museum in recent years, is unknown to most followers of Woollaston’s work. In a revealing anecdote, Woollaston’s friend, poet and collector Charles Brasch, while visiting in 1949, wrote in his journal: “Toss has no interest in doing lifelike portraits – I had suggested a life drawing of Rodney [Kennedy]” – a mutual friend with whom Brasch shared a house in Dunedin – “something I would like someone to do… he said he would not know how to begin” (Journal, 19 June 1949).1
Earlier, in 1938, Woollaston expounded his aesthetic philosophy to the poet Ursula Bethell: “What I have to see is not the object, but the form that will be objectified when I have drawn or painted well… One does not ever, in true painting, imitate objects. One paints objects, one paints paint. The question of likeness never really enters into it at all… Hence it may be a very impressive likeness, yet a bad picture” In the case of Lesley Blucher’s portrait, Woollaston achieved both an ‘impressive likeness’ and a good picture. There is a convincing fidelity to the girl’s appearance, as an exactly contemporary photograph reveals – dark hair with centre parting, youthfully rounded features, pale complexion, dark school uniform set off by a white shirtcollar – but it was his concern to make a good picture that was paramount. The elegant curves of the handsome armchair (a gift from Colin McCahon) envelop the girl, while her head, arms and body form a series of circles echoed by the contours of the furniture. In colour, the picture is dominated by the blue-black of the uniform, while her face, hands and shirt-collar provide contrasting lighter passages alongside the ochres, greens and browns of the armchair. This strong and thoroughly satisfying work is a fine example of Woollaston’s portraiture from the first decade of his long career. PETER SIMPSON 1 Charles Brasch’s journal is quoted with the kind permission of Hocken Collections and the Brasch Estate. 2 Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters, Jill Trevelyan (ed.), Te Papa Press, 2004, p.103.
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IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
37. Adele Younghusband Māori Wāhine oil on canvas signed Adele Younghusband and dated 1928 in brushpoint lower right 595mm x 445mm $45,000—$65,000 EXHIBITED Cursive Line: Adele Younghusband, Whangarei Art Museum, Whangarei, 15 October 2007—30 January 2008. Ferner Galleries, Auckland, 2007. ILLUSTRATED Spring Catalogue, Ferner Galleries, Auckland, 2007, p. 78 - 79.
Described by some as a New Zealand surrealist, Adele Younghusband was a woman of strong beliefs who painted angels and Māori myths as well as conventional landscapes and still lifes. Adela Mary Roche was born at Ngaroto in the Waikato where Hungerford Roche, her Dublin-born father, was the first Pākehā to farm. Her sister, Fanny Osborne, was a botanical artist. Learning her trade of photographic retouching from pictorialist Harry Gaze in Hamilton, she studied painting with Horace Moore-Jones before marrying Gisborne grocer Frank Younghusband in 1905 and bearing three children. Unmistakeably modern in her outlook, she divorced her husband in 1917 and moved to Whangarei to open her own photographic business, becoming famous there as the first woman to bob her hair. Daughter Joyce’s death precipitated a move to Dargaville in 1927 but, by 1930, she had returned to city life and opened a photographic studio in Devonport, Auckland. For a decade between 1926 and 1936, Māori subjects predominated in her work. This can be attributed to her time in Northland, with its large non-urbanised Māori population. Unlike depictions of Māori by such artists as Charles F. Goldie, Younghusband’s work demonstrated a connection to earlier women artists, such as Frances Hodgkins and Mina Arndt, who portrayed Māori in a more sympathetic, less anthropological vein. Five watercolours of Māori myths from 1936 are in the collection of the Waikato
Pg. 86 —
Museum of Art and History along with an oil painting entitled The Poi Dancer (1929). Other significant works with Māori subjects include a mural in Hamilton’s Anglican Chapel of St Anne, another in its Theosophical Society building and Tāne, God of the Forests (1929), which was commissioned from the artist to hang in the newly constructed Mihinirangi Meeting House at Turangawaewae. Works by Adele Younghusband are held in most institutional gallery collections in New Zealand; the largest group is made up of the 24 paintings she gifted to the Whangarei Art Museum in 1954. The collection now contains 130 works by the artist, including photographs, prints and drawings. Māori Wāhine shows two women dressed in traditional korowai and prominently displaying precious pounamu hei tiki. The elder of the two is seated before woven baskets holding kumara for a hangi and behind is the open doorway of a wharenui, with a pātaka (food store) and palisade beyond. In contrast to the images of smiling wāhine from an earlier period, these women look wary, their gaze fixed on someone or something beyond the viewer. Standing proud and erect, the younger of the two holds a mere pounamu in her right hand. Rather than relics of a dying race, these women are represented as symbols of Māori strength and hope for the future. LINDA TYLER
— Pg. 87
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
38. Peter Robinson Mushroom Hunter acrylic, ink, enamel and charcoal on canvas, 2009 2130mm x 1860mm $15,000—$20,000
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39. Peter Madden You Are Never Far From My Thoughts found images, watercolour and resin on Perspex, 2012 signed MADDEN, title inscribed You are Never Far From My Thoughts and dated 2012 in pencil verso 1080mm x 1080mm $12,000—$15,000
PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland. EXHIBITED You Have Changed Me Aleady, Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland, 2012. Peter Madden, Coming from all the places you have never been, Pataka Art Museum, Porirua, 31 August – 30 November, 2014; Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland, 8 May – 30 May 2015.
— Pg. 89
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
40. Seraphine Pick Flight Over Wastelands oil on canvas, 1991 signed S. Pick and dated ‘91 in brushpoint lower right 1385mm x 1875mm $15,000—$25,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch, 2006.
41. Girolamo Nerli Fiji oil on card, 1984 signed Nerli in brushpoint lower right; printed Fiji and dated 1894 on Jonathan Grant Galleries, label affixed verso 210mm x 340mm $4,000—$6,000 ILLUSTRATED Entwistle, Peter; Dunn, Michael and Collins, Roger. Nerli: An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings. Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin, 1988, p. 140. EXHIBITED Nerli: An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, 1988.
42. Simon Kaan Untitled - from the Beijing Series oil on timber panels, 2006 900mm x 1890mm $12,000—$18,000
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PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Webb's, Auckland. EXHIBITED Simon Kaan, Webb’s, Auckland. 14 October—22 October 2006.
— Pg. 91
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
43. Ralph Hotere Carey’s Bay and BNZ Port Chalmers 2004 burnished and cut stainless steel, hand cast lead nails and acrylic in villa sash window frame, 2004 signed Hotere, dated 04.04.04, inscribed Carey's Bay and BNZ Port Chalmers lower right 1000mm x 710mm $35,000—$55,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by the present owner from Milford Galleries, Dunedin.
Carey’s Bay and BNZ Port Chalmers is an arresting work in which the confrontational and brutally political nature of Hotere’s artistic raison d’etre is delivered through its medium. As the brilliant metallic chromaticity of stainless steel packs a powerful punch, meaningful engagement with the work occurs through a realisation that what is important herein is what has been done unto the work. Certainly this idea of “doing unto” the work is, as an act, one which is deeply attuned to Hotere’s concerns of colonial ownership and imperialism – it recalls the idea of dominion being imposed on the land as it is carved up and claimed, as well as environmental concerns around how we treat the land. The physically inter-dimensional nature of this work is simultaneously its most accessible point of engagement and its most opaque, complex feature. Hotere has mastered the synthesis of a number of media – a sash window whose black veneer enshrines an anonymous history of its own, acrylic paint, burnished stainless steel as it has been manipulated and reformed, and the allimportant cohesion realised by six hand-cast lead nails. This affords the work a sense of sculptural dynamicity which not only physically brings it into our space, but also transforms the viewer’s role into one of active participation and a relationship with the ‘window’. Lost in the almost cubist reductivism of geometric forms within forms,
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abstraction and symbolism are in contention with each other, and any sense of clarity seems fleeting. Thus, the viewer is implicated in the fraught emotion of Hotere’s own relationship with this location. Moreover, the black window, though it is a readily-identifiable device whose significance within the broader context of Hotere’s oeuvre is a well-trodden fact, is also of especial note in this context. Interwoven with Hotere’s articulation of local protest is a broader web of symbols where international focus and considerations are magnified and cast onto the New Zealand landscape. Take, for example, the overt use of the Star of David, that Zionist symbol of protest and potency which, punctuated by a hexagonal figure, puts forth a statement of fragmentation and brings to mind the act of land razing. All in all, this metallurgically-brilliant work does not contain a singularly emblazoned and overt message, but rather comprises a fragmentation of symbolic meaning. It is rife with personal and political allusions, and ultimately places the burden of interpretation upon the viewer. Hotere’s own protest is thus transformed into a visual epitaph. RACHEL KLEINSMAN
— Pg. 93
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
45. Rita Angus Portrait of Judy Jones oil on board, 1965 signed RITA ANGUS in brushpoint lower right 510mm x 390mm $10,000—$15,000 PROVENANCE From the collection of Judy Tait (née Jones).
In 1965, my eldest daughter Julie was over three, Jenny was 13 months old and I was 22. Early that year, Rita arranged to stay with us at Maungataniwha, where my first husband, Anton Mansell Angus Jones (son of Fred and Jean Jones), was working for Rita’s father William (Bill) Angus.
44. Gary Waldrom Three Girls Waiting II oil on canvas, 2005 signed Gary Waldrom, dated 2005, title inscribed THREE GIRLS WAITING II and inscribed OIL in red marker pen verso 1820mm x 1220mm $12,000—$18,000 PROVENANCE Purchased by present owner from. Janne Land Gallery, Wellington, 2005. Pg. 94 —
The settlement, inland from the railway stop at Kotemaori, Hawke’s Bay, was a farming and logging base for Bill Angus’ development project, clearing scrub prior to its use for farming of the area. Previously there had been a sawmill to process the rimu logs and Rita insisted that she stay in one of the now vacant huts originally built for the sawmill workers, but came to us each day for about 7-10 days, for an evening meal and to use the bathroom facilities. Jill Trevelyan’s book has a summary (pages 309-311) of her time with us including her sketching from one of our bedroom windows the “burning bush” (scrub) which she later developed into a stunning oil.
I understand that one of Rita’s commitments during her lifetime was to paint a portrait of each of her family members, starting with brothers and sisters, but then including nephews and nieces, and later great nephews and great nieces and prior to her visit, Rita had prepared painted boards to serve as background for our portraits. She then sketched on these backgrounds while we sat for her. As Jenny was so young, we sat her in a high chair and gave her little orange juice ice cubes to suck when she became restless. Rita came to stay with us in February and it was extremely hot. The only showing of our three oil portraits (NFS) was at a “Group Show” in Wellington that included Rita’s, Jean’s and Timmy Angus’s work, all not for sale, in the 1970s. JUDY TAIT, NIECE-IN-LAW OF RITA ANGUS
— Pg. 95
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
46. Dane Mitchell Untitled (Flag) from the Barricades Project shovel, cord and flag, edition 3/10, 2007 signed Dane Mitchell, dated 2007 and editioned 3/10 in marker pen on the timber handle 860mm x 1530mm x 230mm $3,500—$5,500 EXHIBITED Barricades, Starkwhite, Auckland, 2007.
48. Colin McCahon 15 Drawings Dec ‘51 to May '52 24-page book of lithographic prints, 26 pages including front and back cover, bound with two hand tied fabric loops. dated 1959 and inscribed for Charles Brasch from Colin McCahon on first page in lithography Published for the Hocken Library, 1967 275mm x 207mm $2,000—$3,000
47. Nigel Brown Captain Cook with Shark of England oil on board, 1992 signed N BROWN, title inscribed CAPTAIN COOK WITH SHARK OF ENGLAND and dated 92 in brushpoint upper centre, inscribed OPOUTAMA in brushpoint upper left; signed NIGEL BROWN, inscribed Captain Cook with Shark of England, dated 92 and inscribed TOLAGA BAY BAY PTG. OIL ON BOARD in brushpoint verso 790mm x 577mm $8,000—$12,000
Highlights 98
Parking 101 Our Specialists
102 – 106
Index of Artists
111
Terms & Conditions 107 – 110
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— Pg. 97
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Decorative Art Collections The auction of Decorative Arts Collections held in September marked the return of Mossgreen-Webb’s into this category of sale. The catalogue, which presented the collections of Tom Mix, Jessica Lambton-Young and Sierd Bouma, alongside private vendors, was met with an enthusiastic response from bidders. Strong prices throughout resulted in a 108% sale rate by value from a 73% sell-through rate by volume. Sale highlights included a Lalique Languedoc Grand Vase, from the collection of Jessica Lambton-Young, which achieved $11,750 against a pre-auction estimate of $6,000 to $8,000 and a pair of chenets achieving $6,345, well above their estimate of $1,000 to $2,000.
Sale Highlights 22 September 2016
The sale confirmed our specialist expertise in marketing decorative arts and re-established long-standing relationships with collectors in this specialist field. Entries are now invited for a further sale to be held in this category in March 2017. Contact James Hogan for a complimentary auction appraisal and to discuss consignment.
Media partners
Lalique Languedoc Grand Vase Achieved: $11,750
Lalique Champs-Élysées Bowl Achieved: $5,463
A Pair of Chenets Achieved: $6,345
Exhibition partners
Gottfried Lindauer Pare Watene 1878 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki gift of Mr H E Partridge, 1915
A Pair of Nineteenth Century French Child Figures Achieved: $2,350 Pg. 98 —
A Nest of Four Chinese Tables Achieved: $2,585
Jacobean Revival Armchair Achieved: $646
Until 19 Feb 2017
Free entry
Peter Panyoczki: ORIGINS Nov 15 – Jan 22
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
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IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Our Specialists Single-Owner Collections Paul Sumner | CEO / Single-Owner Collections | paul.sumner@mossgreen.com.au Paul is a respected specialist in the fields of Australian art, Chinese and Asian arts and European design, antiques and art. He has 30 years of experience working in the art and antiques industry with international and Australian auction houses. Paul is CEO of Mossgreen, which is now Australia’s largest multi-departmental auction house and, since the acquisition of the former Webb’s auction house in New Zealand, the company is now run as a trans-Tasman regional business.
James Hogan | Single-Owner Collections | james.hogan@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz James is one of New Zealand’s most experienced specialist valuers and appraisers. He has provided almost three decades of service to the growth and development of Webb’s as New Zealand’s leading auction house. James has been involved in many of Webb’s most successful auctions over the years, in a variety of departments, and holds a record for the highest price for a decorative arts item sold at auction in New Zealand.
Fine Art
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Sophie Coupland | Director of Art | sophie.coupland@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Peter Downey | Jewellery and Antique Jewels Specialist & Valuer
Sophie Coupland has 20 years of experience in the sale and marketing of fine art. Her long-standing marketbased knowledge, together with significant business and commercial achievements, positions her as one of New Zealand’s most experienced fine art professionals. Sophie has a broad knowledge of New Zealand art history with specialist expertise in modern and contemporary practice.
Peter was a founding director of the Webb’s jewellery department in the 1980s, and has 44 years of market experience. He is one of New Zealand’s most experienced jewellery specialists. Peter has a comprehensive knowledge of all materials and styles, and his specialist areas include Castellani, Giuliano, Fabergé, Cartier, art nouveau and art deco.
Briar Williams | Art Department Manager | briar.williams@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Murdoch McLennan | Consultant
Briar Williams is an experienced and respected art valuer and auctioneer, having worked in both auctions and galleries in New Zealand and Australia for 13 years. Briar was the Head of Art at Leonard Joel, one of the oldest auction houses in Australia, where she oversaw a period of rapid growth in the art department. Briar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from The University of Auckland and a Postgraduate Diploma from Sotheby's Institute, London.
Murdoch joined Webb’s in 1986 as the Antiques Manager and he created many auction records including a record price for an Anton Seuffert Bonheur du Jour. Since leaving Webb’s, he has been running Murdoch McLennan Antiques, which today continues to be one of the few remaining successful antique shops in New Zealand. He specialises in 18th and 19th-century furniture, porcelain and silver.
Jessica Douglas | Fine Art Specialist | jessica.douglas@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Caolán McAleer | Single-Owner Collections | caolan.mcaleer@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Jessica is currently working towards her Master of Arts in Art History at The University of Auckland, where she holds an Honours degree in Art History, a Bachelor of Arts (Art History and French) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Marketing). She also works with Art News magazine and as a freelance writer. She has worked on curatorial projects and has interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and at the Wallace Arts Trust.
Caolán holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Cultural Studies and Marketing from John Moores University in Liverpool and has a background in sales and marketing. Caolán brings to Mossgreen-Webb’s his experience working in the Fine Art department of Gormleys, one of Ireland’s leading commercial art galleries and auction houses.
— Pg. 103
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Fine & Rare Wines Reece Warren | Head of Fine & Rare Wines | reece.warren@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Robert Richards | Head of Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia | robert.richards@mossgreen.com.au
Reece brings to Mossgreen-Webb’s over 25 years in the industry, encompassing grape growing, sales, marketing and vineyard management. Reece’s international experience includes three years based in England studying and doing vintage in France. He holds a Diploma of Wine (Wine & Spirit Trust Education Trust, England).
Robert has more than 18 years’ experience within the auction industry both in Australia and North America. Robert became Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia Specialist for Mossgreen’s newly formed department in 2014. Following two very successful auctions, the department expanded and Robert is now Head of Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia.
Jemma Grobbelaar | Fine & Rare Wines | jemma@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Catherine Davison | Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia | catherine.davison@mossgreen.com.au
Jemma discovered her passion for wine while working in various roles at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She is currently in her second year of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, Level 4 Diploma, studying towards a Master of Wine degree. She is also currently on the Court of Master Sommeliers Education programme and has recently passed her introductory Sommelier certificate. In 2015, she was a finalist in the New Zealand Junior Sommelier of the Year.
Catherine brings extensive industry experience to Mossgreen-Webb’s and her long-held international associations with some of the most highly respected leaders in engineering, motor sport and blue ribbon auction houses brings a unique cross-section of experience to Mossgreen-Webb’s Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia Department.
Fine Jewels & Watches
International Decorative Arts
Patti Sedgwick | Head of Jewellery | patti.sedgwick@mossgreen.com.au
Jennifer Gibson | Head of Decorative Arts | jennifer.gibson@mossgreen.com.au
A registered jewellery appraiser, gemmologist and diamond grader with over 20 years of industry experience, Patti brings a wealth of expertise to the Fine Jewels & Watches department at Mossgreen-Webb’s. Patti has previously headed up Fine Jewellery departments at Sotheby’s Australia and Bonhams and conducted many highly successful auctions in Melbourne and Sydney.
Jennifer is a well-respected furniture and decorative arts specialist, valuer and auctioneer with a wide-ranging knowledge of her field. Her expertise includes English, Australian and Continental furniture, ceramics, glass, sculpture and silver and is coupled with a keen interest in Asian works of art, including Japanese ceramics and textiles.
Tam Fraser | Jewellery & Gem Specialist | tam.fraser@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Sandy Bruce | Senior Specialist, Decorative Arts | sandy.bruce@mossgreen.com.au
Tam Fraser brings with her with more than 15 years of wholesale and retail experience in gemstones and jewellery. Tam has spent the last nine years as a Sales and Marketing Manager, diamond grader and jewellery designer for New Zealand’s largest diamond company. She is trained in GIA and HRD diamond grading.
Sandy is well respected in the industry, having worked at Sotheby’s in the United Kingdom and Australia for more than 30 years. Sandy has been involved in the sale of some of the most important decorative arts collections in Australia including The David Lawrence Collection and The John Weller Collection of Oriental & Decorative Art.
Chinese & Asian Art
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Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia
Maori & Oceanic Arts
Ray Tregaskis | Head of Chinese & Asian Art | ray.tregaskis@mossgreen.com.au
Bill Evans | Head of Oceanic Art | bill.evans@mossgreen.com.au
Ray began collecting Asian art in Europe in 1975 and opened his first gallery in Sydney in January 1979. Ray and his partner, Victoria, have travelled extensively throughout Asia and Europe over the past 30 years, holding many exhibitions nationally and internationally with Ray also writing numerous articles on various aspects of Asian antiques. Ray is a long-standing member of the AAADA and a Valuer of Asian Art under the Cultural Gifts Scheme for the Commonwealth Government.
Bill has specialised in tribal art, antique rugs and Asian textiles in Sydney for more than 35 years. He graduated magna cum laude in History from the University of Minnesota and formerly ran the Caspian Gallery in Paddington, Sydney. Bill has been a frequent speaker to museum and textile groups through the years and has written articles on Oceanic and Aboriginal collections in Australian museums for the magazine Tribal Art, the international bible for tribal art enthusiasts.
Luke Guan | Chinese & Asian Art Specialist | luke.guan@mossgreen.com.au
Jesse De Deyne | Deputy Director of Australian Indigenous Art | jesse.dedeyne@mossgreen.com.au
Luke graduated from Christie’s Education in London and the University of Glasgow with a Master of Arts in Art History and Art World Practice with a major in Arts of China. He has worked with Chinese art since 2010: for Christie’s in London and Hong Kong, and for leading Hong Kong antiques gallery – Joyce Gallery – as a specialist and cataloguer.
Jesse studied Art History and Business Management at The University of Queensland and combines his knowledge of both subjects in his role at Mossgreen-Webb’s. He has a long-standing passion for Australian indigenous art, and has spent time volunteering at the Maningrida Art & Culture centre and Bula’bula Arts centre in Arnhem Land, as well as in the Kimberley region.
— Pg. 105
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Sporting Memorabilia Max Williamson | Head of Sporting Memorabilia | max.williamson@mossgreen.com.au Max began his career in collectables when Stanley Gibbons Ltd opened an office in Melbourne in 1979, specialising in rare stamps and postal history. He trained in London, spending time with the rare stamps, auctions, publishing, maps and scripophily (old bonds and share certificates) departments. After 15 years, he joined Leski Auctions in 1994, and helped to introduce and grow the sports and general memorabilia auctions.
Terms and Conditions
For Terms & Conditions specific to Philatelic / Numismatic auctions, please see online. The terms and conditions of sale listed here contain the policies of Mossgreen-Webb’s Ltd. They are the terms on which Mossgreen-Webb’s Ltd and the Seller contract with the Buyer. They may be amended by printed Saleroom Notices or oral announcements made before and during the sale. By bidding at auction you agree to be bound by these terms. 1. Background to the Terms used in these Conditions
Stamps & Postal History
The conditions that are listed below contain terms that are used regularly and may need explanation. They are as follows: “the Buyer”
Gary Watson | Head of Philately & Numismatics |
gary.watson@mossgreen.com.au
Gary has been a professional philatelist since 1979. As proprietor of Prestige Philately, he earned a reputation as one of the most innovative and respected stamp auctioneers in the world. A passionate collector since childhood, Gary has formed several significant/important collections of stamps, postmarks, postal history, postal stationery and philatelic literature. He has been a successful exhibitor and is a qualified National Judge in three disciplines.
means the person with the highest bid accepted by the Auctioneer. “the Lot” means any item depicted within the sale for auction and in particular the item or items described against any lot number in the catalogue. “the Hammer price” means the amount of the highest bid accepted by the auctioneer in relation to a lot. “the Buyer’s Premium” means the charge payable by the Buyer to the auction house as a percentage of the hammer price. “the Reserve”
Charles Leski | Deputy Chairman/Philately & Historical Memorabilia | charles.leski@mossgreen.com.au
means the lowest amount at which Mossgreen-Webb’s has agreed with the Seller that the
Charles established Leski Auctions in 1973. Initially focusing on Philately, the company soon diversified into other collecting fields including Sporting Memorabilia, Coins and Banknotes, Cameras and Photography, Australiana, Historical Documents and Letters, and other collectables. Charles became established as a leading authority in the field of collectables in Australia and, by 2013, the company was conducting 20 auctions a year with extensive buyer participation from interstate and overseas. He is a successful exhibitor and is a qualified National Judge in three disciplines.
“Forgery”
lot can be sold. means an item constituting an imitation originally conceived and executed as a whole, with a fraudulent intention to deceive as to authorship, origin, age, period, culture or source, where the correct description as to such matters is not reflected by the description in the catalogue. Accordingly no lot shall be capable of being a forgery by reason of any damage or restoration work of any kind (Including re-painting). “the insured value” means the amount that Mossgreen-Webb’s in its absolute discretion from time to time
Coins & Banknotes
shall consider the value for which a lot should be covered for insurance (whether or not insurance is arranged by Mossgreen-Webb’s). All values expressed in Mossgreen-Webb’s Ltd catalogues (in any format) are in New
Nick Anning | Philately & Numismatics Specialist
| nick.anning@mossgreen.com.au
Nick has been a collector of stamps and coins since childhood, with a focus on stamps from Great Britain. He worked in a variety of non-philatelic roles in the United Kingdom, France and Spain before settling in Australia in 1999. Nick worked for Prestige Philately for eight years before joining Mossgreen as Stamps & Coins Specialist in 2014. He is a member of The Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria and Great Britain Philatelic Society.
Zealand Dollars (NZD$). All bids, “hammer price”, “reserves”, “Buyers Premium” and other expressions of value are understood by all parties to be in New Zealand Dollars (NZD$) unless otherwise specified. 2. Mossgreen-Webb’s Auctions as Agent Except as otherwise stated Mossgreen-Webb’s Ltd acts as agent for the Seller. The contract for the sale of the property is therefore made between the Seller and the Buyer. 3. Before the Sale Examination of Property
Consultants
Prospective Buyers are strongly advised to examine in person any property in which they are interested before the Auction takes place. Neither Mossgreen-Webb’s nor the Seller provides any guarantee in relation to the nature of the property apart from the Limited warranty in the paragraph below.
Brian Wood | Consultant, Wellington
| brian.wood@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Formerly one of the lead valuers at Webb’s, Brian has a sound knowledge of New Zealand art and all collecting genres including antiques and studio ceramics. Brian is available to provide market appraisals for Wellington and lower North Island collectors.
The property is otherwise sold “AS IS” Catalogue and Other Descriptions All statements by Mossgreen-Webb’s in the catalogue entry for the property or in the condition report, or made orally or in writing elsewhere, are statements of opinion and are not to be relied upon as statements of fact. Such statements do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability by Mossgreen-Webb’s of any kind. References in the catalogue entry to the condition report to damage or restoration are for guidance only and should be evaluated by personal inspection by the bidder or a knowledgeable representative. The absence of such a reference does not imply that an
Jennifer Buckley | VIP Relationship Manager
| jennifer.buckley@mossgreen-webbs.co.nz
Jennifer was the former Director of the Auckland Art Fair which was launched in 2005. More recently, she held the role of the Programme Manager of New Zealand’s official exhibition at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. She joins Mossgreen-Webb's to develop opportunities and create memorable experiences for clients and like-minded organisations across New Zealand. Pg. 106 —
item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Estimates of the selling price should not be relied on as a statement that this is the price at which the item will sell or it’s value for any other purpose. Neither Mossgreen-Webb’s nor The Seller is responsible for any errors or omissions in the catalogue or any supplemental material.
— Pg. 107
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
Remedies for Non-Payment
Increment Amount
Dollar Range
$20
$0–$500
$50
$500–$1,000
$100
$1,000–$2,000
$200
$2,000–$5,000
$500
$5,000–$10,000
$1,000
$10,000–$20,000
Buyer can have no claim upon Mossgreen-Webb’s in the event that the item(s)
$2,000
$20,000–$50,000
to set off against any amounts which Mossgreen-Webb’s may owe the Buyer
$5,000
$50,000 – $100,000
$10,000
$100,000–$200,000
where several amounts are owed by the Buyer to us, in respect of different
$20,000
$200,000–$500,000
respect of any particular transaction, whether or not the Buyer so directs.
$50,000
$500,000–$1,000,000
If the Buyer fails to make full payment immediately, Mossgreen-Webb’s is entitled to exercise one or more of the following rights or remedies (in addition to asserting any other rights or remedies available under the law) to charge interest at such a rate as we shall reasonably decide. to hold the defaulting Buyer liable for the total amount due and to commence legal proceedings for its recovery along with interest, legal fees and costs to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law. to cancel the sale.
Images are measured height by width (sight size). Illustrations are provided
highest bids on that lot, then the lot will be sold to the person whose written
only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a true representation of
bid was received and accepted first. Execution of written bids is a free
colour or condition. Images are not shown at a standard scale. Mention is
service undertaken subject to other commitments at the time of the sale
rarely made of frames (which may be provided as supplementary images on
and we do not accept liability for failing to execute a written bid or for errors
the website) which do not form part of the lot as described in the printed
or omissions which may arise. It is the bidder’s responsibility to check with
catalogue.
Mossgreen-Webb’s after the auction if they were successful. Unlimited or
An item bought “on Extension” must be paid for in full before it will be
“Buy” bids will not be accepted.
released to the purchaser or his/her agreed expertising committee or
Telephone Bids
specialist. Payments received for such items will be held “in trust” for up to
Priority will be given to overseas and bidders from other regions. Please refer
90 days or earlier, if the issue of authenticity has been resolved more quickly.
to the catalogue for the Telephone Bids form. Arrangements for this service
Extensions must be requested before the auction.
must be confirmed AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR to the auction commencing.
Foreign buyers should note that all transactions are in Australian dollars so
Mossgreen-Webb’s accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any errors or
there may be a small exchange rate risk. The costs associated with acquiring
failure to execute bids. In telephone bidding the buyer agrees to be bound
a good opinion or certificate will be carried by the purchaser. If the item turns
by all terms and conditions listed here and accepts that Mossgreen-Webb’s
out to be forged or otherwise incorrectly described, all reasonable costs will
cannot be held responsible for any miscommunications in the process. The
be borne by the vendor.
success of telephone bidding cannot be guaranteed due to circumstances
Absentee bids must follow these increments and any bids that don’t follow
property in our possession owned by the Buyer whether by way of pledge,
Buyers Responsibility
that are unforeseen. Buyers should be aware of the risk and accept the
the steps will be rounded up to the nearest acceptable bid.
security interest or in any other way, to the fullest extent permitted by the
All property is sold “as is” without representation or warranty of any kind
consequences should contact be unsuccessful at the time of Auction. You
5. After the Sale
law of the place where such property is located. The Buyer will be deemed
by Mossgreen-Webb’s or the Seller. Buyers are responsible for satisfying
must advise Mossgreen-Webb’s of the lots in question and you will be
Buyers Premium
to have been granted such security to us and we may retain such property as
themselves concerning the condition of the property and the matters referred
assumed to be a buyer at the minimum price of 75% of estimate (i.e. reserve)
In addition to the hammer price, the buyer agrees to pay to Mossgreen-
collateral security for said Buyer’s obligations to us.
to in the catalogue by requesting a condition report.
for all such lots. Mossgreen-Webb’s will advise Telephone Bidders who have
Webb’s the buyer’s premium. The buyer’s premium is 17.5% of the hammer
to take such other action as Mossgreen-Webb’s deem necessary or
No lot to be rejected if, subsequent to the sale, it has been immersed in liquid
registered at least 24 hours before the auction of any relevant changes to
price plus GST. (Goods and Services Tax) where applicable.
appropriate.
or treated by any other process unless the Auctioneer’s permission to subject
descriptions, withdrawals or any other sale room notices.
Payment and Passing of Title
If we do sell the property under paragraph (4), then the defaulting Buyer shall
the lot to such immersion or treatment has first been obtained in writing.
Online Bidding
The buyer must pay the full amount due (comprising the hammer price,
be liable for payment of any deficiency between the total amount originally
4. At the Sale
Mossgreen-Webb’s offers an online bidding service. When bidding online
buyer’s premium and any applicable taxes and GST) not later than 5 days
due to us and the price obtained upon reselling as well as for all costs,
Refusal of Admission
the buyer agrees to be bound by all terms and conditions listed here by
after the auction date.
expenses, damages, legal fees and commissions and premiums of whatever
Mossgreen-Webb’s reserves the right at our complete discretion to refuse
Mossgreen-Webb’s.
The buyer will not acquire title to the lot until Mossgreen-Webb’s receives
kinds associated with both sales or otherwise arising from the default.
admission to the auction premises or participation in any auction and to reject
Mossgreen-Webb’s accepts no responsibility for any errors, failure to execute
full payment in cleared funds, and no goods under any circumstances will be
If we pay any amount to the Seller under paragraph (5) the Buyer
any bid.
bids or any other miscommunications regarding this process. It is the online
released without confirmation of cleared funds received. This applies even if
acknowledges that Mossgreen-Webb’s shall have all of the rights of the Seller,
Registration Before Bidding
bidder’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the relevant information
the buyer wishes to send items overseas.
however arising, to pursue the Buyer for such amount.
Any prospective new buyer must complete and sign a registration form and
regarding bids, lot numbers and contact details. Mossgreen-Webb’s does not
Payment can be made by direct transfer, cash (not exceeding NZD$10,000,
Failure to Collect Purchases
provide photo identification before bidding. Mossgreen-Webb’s may request
charge for this service.
if wishing to pay more than NZD$10,000 then this must be deposited
Where purchases are not collected within 5 days from the sale date, whether
bank, trade or other financial references to substantiate this registration.
Reserves
directly into a Bank of New Zealand branch and bank receipt supplied)
or not payment has been made, we shall be permitted to remove the property
Bidding as a Principal
Unless otherwise indicated, all lots are offered subject to a reserve, which
and EFTPOS (please check the daily limit). Payments can also be made by
to a warehouse at the buyer’s expense, and only release the items after
When making a bid, a bidder is accepting personal liability to pay the
is the confidential minimum price below which the Lot will not be sold.
credit card in person with a 2.2% merchant fee for Visa and Mastercard and
payment in full has been made of removal, storage handling, insurance and
purchase price including the buyer’s premium and all applicable taxes, plus
The reserve will not exceed the low estimate printed in the catalogue. The
3.3% for American Express. Invoices that are in excess of $5,000 and where
any other costs incurred, together with payment of all other amounts due to
all other applicable charges, unless it has been explicitly agreed in writing
auctioneer may open the bidding on any Lot below the reserve by placing a
the card holder is not present, cannot be charged to a credit card without
us.
with Mossgreen-Webb’s before the commencement of the sale that the
bid on behalf of the Seller. The auctioneer may continue to bid on behalf of
prior arrangement. Personal cheques are accepted, but funds must be
6. Extent of Mossgreen-Webb’s Liability
bidder is acting as agent on behalf of an identified third party acceptable to
seller up to the amount of the reserve, either by placing consecutive bids or
cleared before goods will be released. Bank cheques are subject to five days
Mossgreen-Webb’s agrees to refund the purchase price in the circumstances
Mossgreen-Webb’s and that Mossgreen-Webb’s will only look to the principal
by placing bids in response to other bidders.
clearance.
of the Limited Warranty set out in paragraph 7 below. Apart from that, neither
for payment.
Auctioneers Discretion
The buyer is responsible for any bank fees and charges applicable for the
the Seller nor we, nor any of our employees or agents are responsible for the
International Registrations
The Auctioneer has the right at his/her absolute and sole discretion to refuse
transfer of funds into Mossgreen-Webb’s account.
correctness of any statement of whatever kind concerning any lot, whether
All International clients not known to Mossgreen-Webb’s will be required
any bid, to advance the bidding in such a manner as he/she may decide, to
Collection of Purchases & Insurance
written or oral, nor for any other errors or omissions in description or for any
to scan or fax through an accredited form of photo identification and pay a
withdraw or divide any lot, to combine any two or more lots and, in the case
Mossgreen-Webb’s is entitled to retain items sold until all amounts due to us
faults or defects in any lots. Except as stated in paragraph 7 below, neither the
deposit at our discretion in cleared funds into Mossgreen-Webb’s account
or error or dispute and whether during or after the sale, to determine the
have been received in full in good cleared funds. Subject to this, the Buyer
Seller, ourselves, our officers, agents or employees give any representation
at least 24 hours before the commencement of the auction. Bids will not be
successful bidder, to continue the bidding, to cancel the sale or to reoffer and
shall collect purchased lots within 5 days from the date of the sale unless
warranty or guarantee or assume any liability of any kind in respect of any lot
accepted without this deposit. Mossgreen-Webb’s also reserves the right to
resell the item in dispute. If any dispute arises after the sale, then Mossgreen-
otherwise agreed in writing between Mossgreen-Webb’s and the Buyer.
with regard to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, description,
request any additional forms of identification prior to registering an overseas
Webb’s sale record is conclusive.
At the fall of the hammer, insurance is the responsibility of the purchaser.
size, quality, condition, attribution, authenticity, rarity, importance, medium,
bid.
Successful Bid and Passing of Risk
Packing, Handling and Shipping
provenance, exhibition history, literature or historical relevance. Except as
This deposit can be made using a credit card, however the balance of any
Subject to the auctioneer’s discretion, the highest bidder accepted by
Mossgreen-Webb’s will be able to suggest removals companies that the
required by local law any warranty of any kind is excluded by this paragraph.
purchase price in excess of $5,000 cannot be charged to this card without
the auctioneer will be the buyer and the striking of his hammer marks the
buyer can use but takes no responsibility whatsoever for the actions of any
7. Limited Warranty
prior arrangement.
acceptance of the highest bid and the conclusion of a contract for sale
recommended third party. Mossgreen-Webb’s can pack and handle goods
Subject to the terms and conditions of this paragraph, the Seller warrants for
This deposit is redeemable against any auction purchase and will be refunded
between the Seller and the Buyer. Risk and responsibility for the lot (including
purchased at the auction by agreement and a charge will be made for this
the period of thirty days from the date of the sale that any property described
in full if no purchases are made.
frames or glass where relevant) passes immediately to the Buyer.
service. All packing, shipping, insurance, postage & associated charges will be
in this catalogue (noting such description may be amended by any saleroom
Absentee Bids
Indicative Bidding Steps, etc.
borne by the purchaser.
notice or announcement) which is stated without qualification to be the work
Mossgreen-Webb’s will use reasonable efforts to execute written bids
Mossgreen-Webb’s reserves the right to refuse any bid, withdraw any lot from
Permits, Licences and Certificates
of a named author or authorship is authentic and not a forgery. The term
delivered to us AT LEAST 24 Hours before the sale for the convenience of
sale, to place a reserve on any lot and to advance the bidding according to
Under The Protected Objects Act 1975, buyers may be required to obtain a
“Author” or “authorship” refers to the creator of the property or to the period,
those clients who are unable to attend the auction in person. If we receive
the following indicative steps:
licence for certain categories of items in a sale from the Ministry of Culture &
culture, source, or origin as the case may be, with which the creation of such
Heritage, PO Box 5364, Wellington.
property is identified in the catalogue.
identical written bids on a particular lot, and at the auction these are the
Pg. 108 —
to resell the property publicly or privately on such terms as we see fit. to pay the Seller an amount up to the net proceeds payable in respect of the amount bid by the defaulting Buyer. In these circumstances the defaulting are sold for an amount greater than the original invoiced amount. in any other transactions, the outstanding amount remaining unpaid by the Buyer. transactions, to apply any amount paid to discharge any amount owed in to reject at any future auction any bids made by or on behalf of the Buyer or to obtain a deposit from the Buyer prior to accepting any bids. to exercise all the rights and remedies of a person holding security over any
— Pg. 109
IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
The warranty is subject to the following:
14. Jewels & Watches
it does not apply where a) the catalogue description or saleroom notice
GEMSTONES
corresponded to the generally accepted opinion of scholars and experts at
Gemstones have historically been subjected to a variety of treatments to
the date of the sale or fairly indicated that there was a conflict of opinions,
enhance their appearances. Sapphires and rubies are routinely heat treated
or b) correct identification of a lot can be demonstrated only by means of a
to improve their colour and clarity, similarly emeralds are frequently treated
scientific process not generally accepted for use until after publication of the
with oils or resin for the same purpose. Other treatments such as staining and
catalogue or a process which at the date of the publication of the catalogue
dyeing, irradiation, filling or coating may have been used on other precious
was unreasonably expensive or impractical or likely to have caused damage
and semi-precious gemstones and organic material. These treatments may be
to the property.
permanent, whilst others may need special care to preserve their appearance.
the benefits of the warranty are not assignable and shall apply only to
Buyers should assume that each lot has been subject to some form of
the original buyer of the lot as shown on the invoice originally issued by
treatment and that the estimates reflect this.
Mossgreen-Webb’s when the lot was sold at Auction.
A number of laboratories issue certificates that give detailed descriptions
the Original Buyer must have remained the owner of the lot without disposing
of gemstones, and in the event that Mossgreen-Webb’s has been supplied
of any interest in it to any third party.
with or obtained certificates for any lot, this shall be noted in the catalogue.
The Buyer’s sole and exclusive remedy against the Seller in place of any
However, as there may not be consensus between different laboratories
other remedy which might be available, is the cancellation of the sale and the
on the degree, or types of treatment of the gemstones Mossgreen-Webb’s
refund of the original purchase price paid for the lot less the buyer’s premium
supplies these without warranty.
which is non-refundable. Neither the Seller nor Mossgreen-Webb’s will be
PEARLS
liable for any special, incidental nor consequential damages including, without
Pearls, like gemstones, can also be subjected to various treatments. Buyers
limitation, loss of profits.
should assume that any pearls sold by Mossgreen-Webb’s may have been
The Buyer must give written notice of claim to us within thirty days of the
subjected to such treatments, and that the catalogue estimates reflect this.
date of the Auction. The Seller shall have the right, to require the Buyer to
WATCHES
obtain two written opinions by recognised experts in the field, mutually
Please note: All watches sold by Mossgreen-Webb’s are sold on an “as is”
acceptable to the Buyer and Mossgreen-Webb’s to decide whether or not to
basis. Mossgreen-Webb’s makes no representation or warranty that any watch
cancel the sale under warranty.
is in working order. Many watches have been repaired over their lifetime
The Buyer must return the lot to Seller in the same condition that it was
and may contain non-original parts. The absence of any reference to the
purchased.
condition of a watch does not imply that the lot is in good condition and
8. Severability
without defects, repairs or restorations. Buyers should be aware that a general
If any part of these Conditions of Sale is found by any court to be invalid,
service charge for battery or further repair work, for which the Buyer is solely
illegal or unenforceable, that part shall be discounted and the rest of the
responsible, may be necessary.
Conditions shall continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.
ESTIMATED WEIGHTS
9. Copyright The copyright in all images, illustrations and written material produced by Mossgreen-Webb’s relating to a lot including the contents of this catalogue, is and shall remain the property at all times of Mossgreen-Webb’s and shall not be used by the Buyer, nor by anyone else without our prior written consent. Mossgreen-Webb’s and the Seller make no representation or warranty that the Buyer of a property will acquire any copyright or other reproduction rights in it. 10. Law and Jurisdiction
If a stone has a known weight, it has been weighed out of the mount. If a stone has an estimated weight, it is an approximate weight only and has been measured by us in the mount and is a statement of opinion only. The information is given as a guide only and Buyers should satisfy themselves with regard to this information as to its accuracy.
Index of Artists
Artists Name
Lot
Mitchell, Sam
15
Aberhart, Laurence
1, 28
Mitchell, Dane
46
Angus, Rita
45
Mrkusich, Milan
19, 27
Bensemann, Leo
21
Nerli, Girolamo
41
Brown, Nigel
47
Parekowhai, Michael
7, 11
Browne, Mary-Louise
2
Pick, Seraphine
40
Clairmont, Philip
23
Poppelwell, Martin
16
Cowan, Roy
5
Rae, Jude
25
Dibble, Paul
32
Robinson, Peter
38
Fomison, Tony
14
Scott, Ian
8
Friedlander, Marti
6
Stitchbury, Peter
3, 17
Gimblett, Max
20
Straka, Heather
4
Hanly, Pat
30
Sydney, Grahame
22
Hipkins, Gavin
34
Thomson, Elizabeth
9
Hotere, Ralph
31, 43
Tole, Charles
13
Jahnke, Robert
45
Twiss, Greer
33
Kaan, Simon
42
Waldrom, Gary
44
Lee, Jae Hoon
29
Woollaston, Toss
36
Madden, Peter
39
Younghusband, Adele
37
Maddox, Allen
10
McCahon, Colin
12, 18, 24, 26, 48
These terms and conditions and any matters concerned with the foregoing fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand, unless otherwise stated. 11. Pre-Sale Estimates Mossgreen-Webb’s publishes with each catalogue our opinion as to the estimated price range for each lot. These estimates are approximate prices only and are not intended to be definitive. They are prepared well in advance of the sale and may be subject to revision. Interested parties should contact Mossgreen-Webb’s prior to auction for updated pre-sale estimates and starting prices. 12. Sale Results Mossgreen-Webb’s will provide auction results, which will be available as soon as possible after the sale. Results will include buyer’s premium. These results will be posted at www.mossgreen-webbs.co.nz. 13. Goods and Service Tax GST is applicable on the hammer price in the case where the seller is selling property that is owned by an entity registered for GST. GST is also applicable on the hammer price in the case where the seller is not a New Zealand resident. These lots are denoted by a dagger symbol † placed next to the estimate. GST is also applicable on the buyer’s premium. Overseas buyers and buyers non-resident in New Zealand will not be charged GST on both hammer price and premiums under the following conditions: The items are exported through a Mossgreen-Webb’s approved freight
BACK COVER
company including New Zealand Post
Lot 2 Mary-Louise Browne Truly Madly Deeply $7,000—$9,500
The items are exported within 60 days of the date of the sale The invoice supplied by Mossgreen-Webb’s for purchases will be regarded as a Tax invoice for GST purposes.
Pg. 110 —
— Pg. 111