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Foreword Mark Hutchins-Pond, Senior Specialist, Art
Kia ora koutou, nau mai here mai; greetings and welcome to our October Select catalogue. Our collection of standout artworks for auction this spring is wonderfully varied, presenting outstanding examples of artworks created in Aotearoa New Zealand during the last seventeen decades. Our earliest offerings are two exceptionally fine watercolours by John Barr Clarke Hoyte, painted in the 1850s. Both taonga have been lovingly cared for by successive generations of owners, so they continue to be as fresh and vibrant today as would have been when Hoyte first put his paint-loaded brush to paper.
At the opposite end of our collection’s time spectrum, we have a magnificent large-format archival print of a historic hei tiki, created by Fiona Pardington just last year. While Hoyte remains an undisputed grand master of watercolour renderings of 19th century New Zealand landscapes, Pardington’s transcendent photographs are inspired by fragile treasures from our cultural heritage, and have assured her a venerated place within the contemporary art canon. It’s intriguing to note that although Hoyte and Pardington’s art practices are separated by 170 years, the vintage of their respective subject matter is within decades of one another.
Between these two temporal bookends, this Select collection features fine artworks for your consideration from every decade in between, offering something to stimulate and intrigue the many diverse aesthetic tastes of admirers and collectors.
As you will see, we have a particularly strong selection of vibrant abstract works from the heady days of the early 1980s. Webb’s extensively reported presentation of the BNZ Collection to the market in 2022 – a collection personally assembled by Peter McLeavey during this period – clearly showcased the 1980s as a golden age for New Zealand contemporary art. As in the BNZ Collection, our current offering features elegant, yet boldly graphic modernist works by Gordon Walters, Max Gimblett, and Julian Dashper from this period, presented alongside the dynamically energetic, gestural abstractions of Allen Maddox.
Another outstanding New Zealand abstract artist from this period, whose impact stretches well into the present, is Gretchen Albrecht. An undisputed icon of modernist abstraction, Albrecht is in a class of her own and we are delighted to present a number of exquisite, jewel-like works showcasing the impressive breadth of her artistic practice. The 1980s was also a very important period for New Zealand photography, when it became widely considered as an important and highly collectable form of contemporary art. Included in the catalogue are museum-quality photographic works captured by the likes of Brian Brake, Marti Friedlander and Ans Westra.
These are what I consider to be some real gems in this collection, but there are far more to discover.
As has become our practice over the last couple of years, a significant number of works will first tour to our Wellington gallery, before the full selection goes on display in Auckland. Bidding for this online auction will close on Monday 21 October but until then, we hope you enjoy Webb’s latest offering of fine New Zealand art and look forward to a buoyant and lively sale.
Join us at our Te Aro gallery for a discussion with local Wellington art dealer and curator Billy Bartlett-Nees, who will share his personal highlights from this Select catalogue. Please RSVP to karen@webbs.co.nz.
You're invited to join us in Mount Eden as we host writer and art historian Lucinda Bennett in a discussion of her stand outs from our October Select catalogue. Please RSVP to art@webbs.co.nz.
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5 Lonnie Hutchinson, Tribute to Iosefa Enari ink, pastel, acrylic, oil and spray paint on paper on board 1640 × 1440mm
EST $7,000 — $10,000
6 Judy Darragh, Arabesque 1991 plastic flowers, dolls, faux fur, cord, mirror and acrylic on board signed, dated and title inscribed 890 × 890mm
EST $3,000 — $5,000
7 Cora-Allan, untitled 2022 whenua pigments and kāpia ink on hiapo signed and dated 600 × 880mm (widest points)
EST $5,800 — $7,800
8
1984 screenprint on paper, 73/75 signed, dated and title inscribed 560 × 430mm
EST $16,000 — $26,000
EST $5,000 — $7,000
EST $10,000 — $15,000
note From the Barry Lett Multiples series.
15 Gordon Walters, untitled 1989 gouache on paper signed and dated
× 460mm
$25,000 — $35,000
Graduating from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1963 under the mentorship of esteemed lecturers such as A. Lois White and Louise Henderson, an aspirational Gretchen Albrecht saw a path forward. Just a year after graduation, with the support of Colin McCahon, then director of the Auckland Art Gallery, Albrecht held her first solo exhibition at Ikon Gallery. McCahon’s endorsement, coupled with the enthusiastic public response to her work, propelled her into the spotlight as an emerging artist to watch.
Over the past 50 years, Albrecht has carved out a successful career for herself, garnering national and international acclaim, establishing herself as one of Aotearoa’s contemporary art icons. After exploring many different artistic approaches, she quickly zeroed in on her love of abstraction and colour. When asked why she paints, Albrecht replied: “to order the chaos I sense is just outside the magic circle I draw around me with my painting.”1 Albrecht’s work utilises textures and unique ways of applying paint to create rhythmic swathes of colour imbued with movement. The titles of the works play a crucial role, anchoring them in the world and enriching them with narrative potential.
Included here is a wonderful selection of works showcasing Albrecht’s iconic oval and hemispheric formats. A trip to Europe in the late 1970s would be influential on her adoption of these newfound silhouettes. Inspired by the curves of Renaissance architecture seen in lunettes, baldacchinos, and chapels with arched ceilings, she made sketches emblematic of these structures.
Sea Drift (2017) is a beautiful example of her hemisphere format, echoing the shape of a baldacchino, the semicircular canopy that sits above an altar or throne in Renaissance architecture. The purpose of this is to offer a visual mediation between the vast scale of the building and the intimate scale of the people below, creating a liminal space that bridges the distance between the earthly body and the inexplicable. Albrecht’s work approaches similar themes, echoing things just out of our grasp. “Allusive and descriptive in equal measure, her titles help us grasp the connotations with which she has invested her imagery.”2 The space between the title and the physical work invites collaboration with the viewer, conjuring images of choppy seas, stormy skies or seaside fences rusted by briny air. The patinated copper support resembles those used by Renaissance artists, adding further historical resonance to the work.
▲ 1 Luke Smythe, Gretchen Albrecht: Between Gesture and Geometry (Auckland: Massey University Press, 2018), 8.
▲ 2 Ibid, 9.
▲ 3 Ibid, 209.
▲ 4 Ibid, 211.
19 Gretchen Albrecht, Little Oval Study No 3 1998 watercolour on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 140 × 190mm
EST $2,000 — $4,000
Approaching the oval shape with different mediums, London I (2004) and Little Oval Study No 3 (1998) share the same strategy, where shapes intervene with and interrupt swirling colour. These geometric interruptions act as meditations, bringing into question their relevance within the context of the painting, not unlike the way a person would ponder the universe, one small shape within the swirling cosmos. Her oval shapes evoke the “circulation of nature’s energies,”3 suggesting shapes found in our natural world, akin to cells, whirlpools and galaxies. Her deceptively simple compositions “make it easier to weigh the harmony of their elements,”4 a quality that is very important to her work.
Albrecht’s continued success has placed her in the art history books alongside her lecturers A. Lois White and Louise Henderson, a testament to her talent and widespread acclaim.
20 Séraphine Pick, untitled watercolour, graphite and pastel on paper
280 × 185mm
EST $2,000 — $4,000
21 Séraphine Pick, untitled watercolour, graphite and pastel on paper
280 × 185mm
EST $2,000 — $4,000
22 Séraphine Pick, untitled 1996 acrylic and graphite on canvas signed and dated 1665 × 1220mm
EST $28,000 — $40,000
23 Kim Pieters, Abraham's journey — after Kierkegaard (integer four)
2012 acrylic, coloured pencil and graphite on found board signed, dated and title inscribed 1205 × 1200mm
EST $2,000 — $4,000
25 Star
All
and
2021 giclée print, 12/25 signed, dated and title inscribed 930 × 640mm
EST $1,800 — $2,500
32
2004 cast glass, 1/1 signed and dated 640 × 160 × 160mm (widest points)
$25,000 — $35,000
33
EST $6,000 — $8,000
40 Chris Charteris, Te Ika Moana III (The Call Of The Whale) 2019 hand-carved and incised humpback whale jawbone signed and dated 30 × 30 × 1390mm (widest points)
EST $9,000 — $13,000
▲ 1 Karlo Mila, “Inside Us the Dead (The New Zealand-born Version), ‘Poem for Winnie Laban’,” The Met, https://www.metmuseum. org/perspectives/articles/2023/6/ inside-us-the-dead
▲ 2 “Unfurling Tākiri with Chris Charteris,” The New Zealand Maritime Museum, 12 November 2019, https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=MY338fDJZ3Y
▲ 3 Mila, “Inside Us the Dead (The New Zealand-born Version), ‘Poem for Winnie Laban’.”
It is a conversation between ocean and history, genealogy and bone. It is a thin umbilical line through time that pulls us. Reaching between destiny and memory.
Karlo Mila, ‘Poem for Winnie Laban’1
Poet Karlo Mila (Tonga, Aotearoa, Sāmoa) proposes identity as something woven; a sense of self first informed by the genealogical inheritance of stories passed down by elders, but then with new threads intermingling, outstretched and unfurling into adulthood.
Negotiating the complexities and overlaps of identity has long been at the heart of Chris Charteris’ practice: adopted into a Pākehā family in Aotearoa New Zealand, he was brought up under the belief that his biological father was Māori, which strongly motivated his pursuit of both learning and teaching the art of whakairo (traditional Māori carving). However, it was only in his formative mid-20s, after a trip to the Pacific, that Charteris learned he was in fact of Kiribati, Fijian and English heritage. His practice has since morphed to explore the multiplicity of symbolisms across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the complex fabric of Pacific identity and the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world that is core to many Pacific and Indigenous cultures.
Well known for his sculptural work across stone, pounamu and bone, Charteris acknowledges the innate integrity of these raw materials, with his role as artist being to work without “overshadow[ing] the perfection that’s already there.”2
With Te Ika Moana III (The Call of the Whale), the artist presents to us a whalebone, taken from the powerful jaw of a humpback whale – a material long treasured and considered taonga by Māori. Carving back its layers, Charteris unveils the curvature hidden within: an elongated sewing needle, delicate and fine, as if its form had always been there, simply waiting to be unearthed. Without using extensive etchings or embellished inlays, Charteris centres on the needle’s function in both its physical and ideological states. As we pause to consider its elegant form, we imagine the innumerable and invisible threads of past, present, future; threads that weave through the carved eyelet, “reaching between destiny and memory.”3
Born in Kawakawa, Northland, Virginia King is recognised for her extensive 40-year career of large-scale, site-specific works commissioned for both public locations and private collectors. Trained in both design and art, she began her studies at the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design (1963), before going on to attend Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland (1964–65), and finally the Chelsea School of Art in London.
From the mid-1980s sculpture became her focus, and it was during this period that King experimented with a range of mediums, including Hinuera stone, bronze, aluminum, stainless steel, earth and wood. Underlying King’s practice is a fervent concern for the natural environment; through her work, it is her intention to generate awareness of the vital relationship between people and nature. This commitment led to King being awarded an Antarctica New Zealand Arts Fellowship in 1999. This was to become a pivotal experience for her practice.
King’s Leaf (c. 2006) eloquently celebrates her awe with the beauty and complexity of nature, while bringing attention to its fragility. The laser-cut and filigreed steel of the vessel Leaf casts an intricate and delicate pattern. The sculpture, like all of King’s, is intended and designed to live outside with the elements, to reside where it might glisten with the warmth of the sun’s rays, or a covering of raindrops.
While the work is simply titled Leaf, the sculpture is based on the foliage of Aotearoa’s native houhere, or lacebark, as it’s commonly known. King’s specimen choice is not random, but informed by her knowledge of the medicinal properties the leaves, bark and flowers of houhere have for Māori within the traditional practice of rongoā (Māori medicine). Rongoā is a holistic system of healing that makes no distinction between a person’s physical and spiritual wellbeing; they are one and the same, and must exist in equilibrium with each other. This is a sentiment King infuses into her work, so the environment that her work is homed in is both revered and protected.
42 Guy Ngan, 2 1976 cast aluminium signed and dated 590 × 285 × 130mm (widest points, including base)
EST $15,000 — $18,000
43 Tony de Lautour untitled 2012 oil on found saw signed and dated 170 × 720mm
est $3,500 — $5,500
45
2006 etching on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 385 × 285mm
EST $6,000 — $8,000
etching on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 385 × 285mm
EST $6,000 — $8,000
46 Bill
1982 screenprint on paper signed and dated 330 × 290mm
EST $5,000 — $8,000
3/10 signed 1750 × 1400mm EST $25,000 — $35,000
Robert Ellis Maungawhau
Locale – and where you choose to make a home – is perhaps one of the most defining features of one’s life, not only for the land and physical space around you, but also the sense of culture, community and identity that is forged from it. A move from the town of Northampton, England, to the far reaches of New Zealand in 1957 would be considered a significant shift by any measure, and it was this dramatic relocation that artist Robert Ellis (1929–2021) described as “the best thing I ever did, it broke the pattern of my life, and what I believed art was about.”1
Having newly arrived in Aotearoa to take up a teaching job at Elam School of Fine Arts, Ellis began to immerse himself in social circles in and around the University of Auckland, as well as with a network of Māori creatives residing in Tāmaki Makaurau. This included artists such as Ralph Hotere and Selwyn Muru, and influential community figures such as Koro Dewes, who championed a strong advocacy for te reo Māori. It was also within these circles that Ellis would later come to meet Elizabeth Aroha Mountain, whom he would wed in 1966. Through her, Ellis would come to embed himself in a newfound whānau of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Porou, who would become “as dear to him as his own.”2
This bicultural existence, richly lived and wholly embodied through his entrenched family life in Te Rawhiti, undoubtedly influenced Ellis’s distinct visual language. In the red-lined angularities of Mahuru/ September, which mark the land like a surveyor’s map, the artist recalls the deep incisions made by early settlers. Yet Ellis is mindful to acknowledge that this colonial inheritance continues to persist well into the present moment, with modern-day property development and legal approaches to land title, most of which stand at odds with the concept of tūrangawaewae and that of communal iwi and hapū ownership. His densely layered lines speak not only of the physical topography of land itself but also of the concept of “land [as] body … the site of collective and infinite experience … the blood-lines of wounded land,”3 as grounded in a Māori perspective of this nation’s history.
One cannot consider biculturalism in Aotearoa without acknowledging the politics of language, and the truism of language-as-power is one that Ellis has long cultivated through his art. The conscious use of te reo Māori names in his work, as a Pākehā artist, evidences his deep affirmation of, and allyship to, Māoritanga. Though Mount Eden was so named for Lord George Eden Auckland of the British Empire, Ellis chose to front-foot its original Māori name, Maungawhau, and furthermore makes reference to Te Ipu-a-Mataaho. Translating to ‘the bowl of Mataaho’, this name refers to the story of Mataaho, the Māori deity of volcanoes and eruptions, whose presence is said to have carved out the surrounding craters. Though his own whakapapa traces back to the English Midlands, Ellis chose to transplant and embed his roots in Aotearoa as a young man. It is here that a people and a whenua chose, too, to embrace him wholeheartedly, and in his art – so inextricably intertwined with his life and family –we witness the enduring bicultural commitment of an artist who truly made Aotearoa his home.
▲ 1 Hamish Keith, Elizabeth Ellis, Hana Ellis and Ngarino Ellis, “Robert Ellis and his Māori World,” in Robert Ellis (Auckland: Ron Sang Publications, 2014), 107.
2 Ibid, 98.
Ibid, 241.
Allen Maddox is widely acknowledged as one of New Zealand’s most outstanding abstract expressionist painters. Born in Liverpool, at the age of 15, Maddox migrated to New Zealand with his family. He studied painting briefly at the Ilam School of Fine Arts at Canterbury University, but he found the teaching he received frustratingly conservative and at odds with what he wanted to learn so he dropped out to pursue an advertising career.
However, while studying at Ilam, Maddox met and established formative friendships with fellow painting students Tony Fomison and Philip Clairmont. The trio remained firm friends for much of their lives and called themselves the Militant Artists Union whenever they got together. Like Fomison and Clairmont, Maddox’s precocious talent quickly attracted critical attention when he began exhibiting his work,
but Maddox’s choice of abstract expressionism as his visual language set him apart. Maddox had his first solo dealer show at the Elva Bett Gallery in Wellington in 1973, and within a few years was exhibiting extensively up and down the country.
Maddox’s art practice was primarily concerned with the creation and manipulation of dynamic tension within structural grids. The primary motif he employed to explore this tension was the crossed form of diagonal brush-strokes, usually in a box. He rendered the captured ‘X’ forms repeatedly in apparently endless
variations of density, delineation and colour, and they continue to be synonymous with his signature. Maddox began producing his × paintings around 1975, when, in a moment of despondency, he angrily defaced a painting he was working on with an X. The motif stuck, and he began repeating the ‘crosses in boxes’ on his canvases. There is a compulsiveness in Maddox’s × paintings; at once ordered yet disordered, they demonstrate a combination of gestural boldness and neurotic
energy. Maddox commented in 1977 that he “would like to be able to visually reproduce the little electric thought patterns that go on in your head when one is paranoiac … How I thrill to a composition resolved by ‘painterly’ means. Splashes, strokes, aesthetic errors.”1
“The X is both structural and gestural. It could be read as a device to break up and analyse the picture plane. Yet, in Maddox’s hands, it is also expressive, a rebellion against
strictures. By restricting subject matter, the artist is free to focus on colour, paint application, gesture, and expression. Maddox found an endless stream of possibilities within the use of this simple device.”2
▲ 1 Allen Maddox, quoted by Peter Vangioni in a text to accompany the exhibition marking the recent acquisition of Maddox’s No Mail Today, Christchurch Art Gallery, June 2016.
▲ 2 “Allen Maddox,” Gow Langsford Gallery, https://gowlangsfordgallery. co.nz/artists/184-allen-maddox/
▲ 3 Alice Hutchison, “Allen Maddox: Systems of Disorder,” Log 15, The × Issue, https://physicsroom.org.nz/ archive/log/archive/15/maddox/
Notable writer and curator Alice Hutchison describes Maddox as idiosyncratic, and wholly committed to his art. Hutchison quotes an anonymous friend of the artist: “Within the painting itself there is a high degree of intelligence and intellectualism …. He didn’t play by anyone else’s rules ... or live for approval.”3 Taken by a bohemian worldview, Maddox lived a life through painting, creating a rich artistic legacy that remains insightful and vital to this day. There is no denying that to visually engage with Maddox’s works is to be mesmerised by something unnameable, visceral, and unlike anything else in New Zealand art.
70 John Reynolds, To Be Perfectly Honest 2003 oil paint marker on acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 1110 × 760mm
EST $6,000 — $9,000
72 Julian Dashper,
Frame 1992 gilt on wood, 3/10 signed, dated and title inscribed 730 × 860 × 150mm (widest points)
EST $3,500 — $5,000
71 Giovanni Intra, Untitled Repetition Drawings 1989 charcoal on paper; Perspex 1026 × 1260mm
EST $4,000 — $8,000
73 Ava
Tablet 2013 digital print, Perspex and G-Clamps 2440 × 810mm
EST $5,000 — $10,000
Louise Henderson
80 Olivia Spencer Bower, untitled watercolour on paper signed
720 × 530mm
EST $2,000 — $3,000
81 Rita Angus, untitled 1952 watercolour on paper signed and dated
235 × 255mm
EST $10,000 — $15,000
Rita Angus, one of New Zealand’s most significant modernist artists, is widely known for her remarkable skill with watercolours and her ability to elevate simple, everyday objects into carefully composed, meaningful studies. She created works that capture the subtle beauty of ordinary objects while reflecting her distinct style of clarity and controlled composition, with an emphasis on the stillness and introspection found in the quiet moments of domestic life.
Angus’s watercolours reflect a transition from the idealistic landscapes and portraits she was most known for, towards more intimate and introspective works. These pieces often feature domestic objects such as fruit, flowers and vases, arranged with a harmonious sense of balance. What distinguishes these works is the sense of quiet intensity she brings to seemingly mundane subjects.
Watercolour is a notoriously difficult medium due to its fluidity and unpredictability, yet Angus’s technique demonstrates her mastery of control and composition. Her use of the medium is both delicate and bold. In this example, the transparency of the watercolour allows the light to seep through the objects, giving them a sense of weightlessness while maintaining their tangible presence. This duality between lightness and solidity speaks to her understanding of both the materiality of objects and the transience of time, often seen in her more iconic landscape works.
Olivia Spencer Bower, another significant New Zealand artist, also produced notable works in watercolour. Spencer Bower’s approach, however, differs from Angus’s in its fluidity and spontaneity. Her watercolours are often more loosely constructed, with a focus on capturing the essence of a scene rather than the fine details. Spencer Bower’s landscapes, in particular, exhibit a free-flowing use of watercolour, where the medium’s natural tendency to blur and blend is embraced to evoke movement and atmosphere. While the artists were contemporaries, Spencer Bower’s watercolours lean more towards expression, whereas Angus’s works are characterised by a more controlled and structured approach.
Louise Henderson, another contemporary of Angus and Spencer Bower, adds a different perspective to the use of watercolour. While Henderson is perhaps better known for her oil paintings and cubist-inspired works, her watercolours reveal a softer, more lyrical side of her artistic expression. Her works often blur the lines between representational and abstract art, using the fluidity of watercolour to explore the underlying structures of the subject matter.
Together, the watercolours of Rita Angus, Olivia Spencer Bower and Louise Henderson present a fascinating dialogue between structure and fluidity, control and spontaneity, representation and abstraction, and highlight the versatility and expressive potential of watercolour. In particular, Angus’s watercolour stands out as a testament to her precision, attention to detail, and ability to infuse the everyday with a sense of quiet profundity.
The full, extended version of in Pursuit of Venus [infected] by Lisa Reihana (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāi Tū) for her exhibition Emissaries at the 2017 Venice Biennale can be considered nothing short of monolithic: in physicality, in duration, in scope. Measuring 24 metres wide and 4 metres high, with over 1,500 individual digital layers and 33 million pixels per frame, this work was made to immerse and envelop its viewers in a “radical reclamation” of colonial history “from a trans-Pacific perspective.”1
Taking Possession/Lono is birthed from this same panoramic installation, capturing a singular, taut vignette from the full 64-minute runtime. To the far left, a naval officer pauses before a bare flagpole, the British flag folded across his outstretched arms. Though his colleagues stand at full attention, muskets held staunchly by their sides and chests puffed up in triumphant anticipation, the man at the flagpole appears somewhat uncertain: his gaze extends just beyond the frame, his arms blanketed by the weight of the Union Jack. The scene is made all the more poignant by the gift of our twenty-first-century hindsight. As much as history is earmarked by its bloody wars, landmark dates and powerful names, so much of history – and its fraught rippleeffects – can also be found in these small, singular moments. Reihana seeks to capture and to reimagine these instances, to acknowledge their otherwise silenced existence and, in doing so, return the colonial gaze with a distinctly Pacific selfdetermination. The work calls to mind the Māori whakataukī, or proverb: Ka mua, ka muri (Walking backwards into the future). Only in facing our past, and reckoning with it, can we stride into a hopeful future.
88 Pauline Yearbury, Papa-tu-a-nuku (Earth Mother and Child) acrylic on incised rimu signed
310 × 610mm
EST $3,000 — $6,000
89 Pauline Yearbury, Papa-tu-a-nuku (The Earth Mother) acrylic on incised rimu signed
305 × 605mm
EST $3,000 — $6,000
91 Margaret Stoddart, The Camp, National Park Ruapehu watercolour on paper signed 359 × 270mm
EST $10,000 — $15,000
92 Annie Baird, untitled 1987 watercolour on paper signed and dated 580 × 770mm
EST $2,000 — $4,000
93 Margaret Stoddart, untitled watercolour on paper signed 260 × 370mm
EST $8,000 — $10,000
94 Annie Baird, Tahatika 1987 watercolour on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 580 × 770mm
EST $2,000 — $4,000
95 Bill Sutton, untitled 1943 watercolour on paper signed and dated 250 × 340mm
EST $5,000 — $8,000
96 Douglas Badcock, Spring Morning / Speardale (Artist's Home Wakatipu) 1995 oil on canvasboard signed 300 × 400mm
EST $3,000 — $4,000
710
EST $2,500 — $3,500
360 × 270mm
EST $3,600 — $4,800
watercolour on paper signed
250 × 350mm
EST $1,200 — $1,800
watercolour on paper signed and dated
210 × 330mm
EST $1,200 — $1,800
EST
170
signed and dated
130 × 85mm
EST $5,000 — $7,500
John Barr Clark Hoyte is a significant watercolourist and landscape painter in New Zealand’s art-historical canon. Born in 1835 in England, Hoyte emigrated to New Zealand in 1859, where he quickly became captivated by the diverse and dramatic environments of his new home.
While little is known about Hoyte’s artistic training and early life, he began his time in New Zealand as a customs clerk before becoming a school teacher and private art instructor. He actively contributed to the Auckland art scene as a founder and secretary of the Auckland Society of Artists.1
A defining characteristic of Hoyte’s beautiful depictions of nineteenth-century New Zealand is the softness of light, which has been described as having an “aspect of repose.”2 This tranquillity reflects Hoyte’s likely early exposure to Romanticism in England, and his vision of a burgeoning national identity in New Zealand art during the late nineteenth century.
▲ 1 “John Hoyte,” Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, https:// www.aucklandartgallery. com/explore-art-and-ideas/ artist/2557/john-hoyte
▲ 2 Ibid.
Hoyte travelled extensively throughout New Zealand, capturing landscapes from various regions. The two works presented here showcase distinct areas of this country’s landscape: the first captures the White Terraces on the shores of Lake Rotomahana, while the second depicts a bay on Urupukapuka Island.
Hoyte typically favoured gentle landscapes over more dynamic, recognisable scenes. Many of his works, including these, employ a diffused warmth and exude a certain softness. Even when capturing one of New Zealand’s most iconic images in Te Taraka, White Terraces, Rotomahana, he chooses to showcase the broader Rotomahana area rather than focusing solely on the Terraces.
In contrast, Otehei, Bay of Islands provides a detailed foreground view of autumnal-coloured foliage, with Māori figures dressed in kākahu shown next to a felled tree. Both paintings exude stillness and serenity, enhanced by their warm, hazy skies.
Regardless of the accuracy of Hoyte’s depictions, it is certain that these landscapes have changed dramatically over time since he captured them. Looking at these works in particular, we cannot help but think about how the White Terraces no longer exist and Otehei Bay is often home to crowds of summer tourists. While Hoyte’s paintings showcase his wonderful technical abilities, they also serve as poignant reminders of the passing of time and the evolving landscape of Aotearoa.
111 Toss
Street, Auckland 1985 watercolour on paper signed and dated 295 × 450mm
EST $4,000 — $8,000
1986 watercolour on paper signed and dated 410 × 290mm
EST $4,000 — $8,000
1969 watercolour on paper signed and dated 535 × 740mm
EST $5,500 — $8,000
1989 watercolour and pastel on paper signed and dated 580 × 750mm
EST $7,500 — $11,000
EST $2,000 — $4,000
141
1998 lithograph on paper, 7/18 signed, dated and title inscribed 560 × 620mm
EST $4,000 — $6,000
142
Study
2005 watercolour on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 300 × 300mm
EST $3,000 — $4,000
EST
and title inscribed 1020 × 840mm
EST $8,000 — $10,000
The terms and conditions of sale listed here contain the policies of Webb’s (Webb Fine Art). They are the terms on which Webb’s (Webb Fine Art) 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.
paid for in full before it will be released to the purchaser or his/her agreed expertising committee or specialist. Payments received for such items will be held “in trust” for up to 90 days or earlier, if the issue of authenticity has been resolved more quickly. Extensions must be requested before the auction.
Foreign buyers should note that all transactions are in New Zealand Dollars so there may be a small exchange rate risk. The costs associated with acquiring a good opinion or certificate will be carried by the purchaser. If the item turns out to be forged or otherwise incorrectly described, all reasonable costs will be borne by the vendor.
3.3. Buyers Responsibility All property is sold “as is” without representation or warranty of any kind by Webb’s or the Seller. Buyers are responsible for satisfying themselves concerning the condition of the property and the matters referred to in the catalogue by requesting a condition report.
convenience of those clients who are unable to attend the auction in person. If we receive identical written bids on a particular lot, and at the auction these are the highest bids on that lot, then the lot will be sold to the person whose written bid was received and accepted first. Execution of written bids is a free service undertaken subject to other commitments at the time of the sale and we do not accept liability for failing to execute a written bid or for errors or omissions which may arise. It is the bidder’s responsibility to check with Webb’s after the auction if they were successful. Unlimited or “Buy” bids will not be accepted.
4.6. Telephone Bids
1. Background to the Terms used in these Conditions
The conditions that are listed below contain terms that are used regularly and may need explanation. They are as follows:
“the Buyer” 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” means the lowest amount at which Webb’s has agreed with the Seller that the lot can be sold.
“Forgery” 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 Webb’s in its absolute discretion from time to time shall consider the value for which a lot should be covered for insurance (whether or not insurance is arranged by Webb’s).
All values expressed in Webb’s catalogues (in any format) are in New 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. Webb’s Auctions as Agent
Except as otherwise stated, Webb’s 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
3.1. Examination of Property Prospective Buyers are strongly advised to examine in person any property in which they are interested before the Auction takes place. Neither 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.
The property is otherwise sold “AS IS”
3.2. Catalogue and Other Descriptions
All statements by 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 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 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 its value for any other purpose. Neither Webb’s nor The Seller is responsible for any errors or omissions in the catalogue or any supplemental material.
Images are measured height by width (sight size). Illustrations are provided only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a true representation of colour or condition. Images are not shown at a standard scale. Mention is rarely made of frames (which may be provided as supplementary images on the website) which do not form part of the lot as described in the printed catalogue.
An item bought “on Extension” must be
No lot to be rejected if, subsequent to the sale, it has been immersed in liquid or treated by any other process unless the Auctioneer’s permission to subject the lot to such immersion or treatment has first been obtained in writing.
4. At the Sale
4.1. Refusal of Admission
Webb’s reserves the right at our complete discretion to refuse admission to the auction premises or participation in any auction and to reject any bid.
4.2. Registration Before Bidding
Any prospective new buyer must complete and sign a registration form and provide photo identification before bidding. Webb’s may request bank, trade or other financial references to substantiate this registration.
4.3. Bidding as a Principal When making a bid, a bidder is accepting personal liability to pay the purchase price including the buyer’s premium and all applicable taxes, plus all other applicable charges, unless it has been explicitly agreed in writing with Webb’s before the commencement of the sale that the bidder is acting as agent on behalf of an identified third party acceptable to Webb’s and that Webb’s will only look to the principal for payment.
4.4. International Registrations
All International clients not known to Webb’s will be required to scan or fax through an accredited form of photo identification and pay a deposit at our discretion in cleared funds into Webb’s account at least 24 hours before the commencement of the auction. Bids will not be accepted without this deposit. Webb’s also reserves the right to request any additional forms of identification prior to registering an overseas bid.
This deposit can be made using a credit card, however the balance of any purchase price in excess of $5,000 cannot be charged to this card without prior arrangement.
This deposit is redeemable against any auction purchase and will be refunded in full if no purchases are made.
4.5. Absentee Bids
Webb’s will use reasonable efforts to execute written bids delivered to us AT LEAST 24 Hours before the sale for the
Priority will be given to overseas and bidders from other regions. Please refer to the catalogue for the Telephone Bids form. Arrangements for this service must be confirmed AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR to the auction commencing. Webb’s accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any errors or failure to execute bids. In telephone bidding the buyer agrees to be bound by all terms and conditions listed here and accepts that Webb’s cannot be held responsible for any miscommunications in the process. The success of telephone bidding cannot be guaranteed due to circumstances that are unforeseen. Buyers should be aware of the risk and accept the consequences should contact be unsuccessful at the time of Auction. You must advise Webb’s of the lots in question, and you will be assumed to be a buyer at the minimum price of 75% of estimate (i.e. reserve) for all such lots. Webb’s will advise Telephone Bidders who have registered at least 24 hours before the auction of any relevant changes to descriptions, withdrawals, or any other sale room notices.
4.7. Online Bidding
Webb’s offers an online bidding service. When bidding online the buyer agrees to be bound by all terms and conditions listed here by Webb’s.
Webb’s accepts no responsibility for any errors, failure to execute bids or any other miscommunications regarding this process. It is the online bidder’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the relevant information regarding bids, lot numbers and contact details. Webb’s does not charge for this service.
4.8. Reserves
Unless otherwise indicated, all lots are offered subject to a reserve, which is the confidential minimum price below which the Lot will not be sold. The reserve will not exceed the low estimate printed in the catalogue. The auctioneer may open the bidding on any Lot below the reserve by placing a bid on behalf of the Seller. The auctioneer may continue to bid on behalf of seller up to the amount of the reserve, either by placing consecutive bids or by placing bids in response to other bidders.
4.9. Auctioneers Discretion
The Auctioneer has the right at his/ her absolute and sole discretion to refuse any bid, to advance the bidding according to the following indicative steps: Increment
$5,000 $50,000 – $100,000
$10,000 $100,000–$200,000
$20,000 $200,000–$500,000
$50,000 $500,000–$1,000,000
Absentee bids must follow these increments and any bids that don’t follow the steps will be rounded up to the nearest acceptable bid.
5. After the Sale
5.1. Buyers Premium
In addition to the hammer price, the buyer agrees to pay to Webb’s the buyer’s premium. The buyer’s premium is 19.5% of the hammer price plus GST. (Goods and Services Tax) where applicable.
5.2. Payment and Passing of Title
The buyer must pay the full amount due (comprising the hammer price, buyer’s premium and any applicable taxes and GST) not later than 2 days after the auction date.
The buyer will not acquire title to the lot until Webb’s receives full payment in cleared funds, and no goods under any circumstances will be released without confirmation of cleared funds received. This applies even if the buyer wishes to send items overseas.
Payment can be made by direct transfer, cash (not exceeding NZD$5,000, if wishing to pay more than NZD$5,000 then this must be deposited directly into a Bank of New Zealand branch and bank receipt supplied) and EFTPOS (please check the daily limit). Payments can be made by debit card or credit card in person with a 2.2% merchant fee for Visa, Mastercard and Paywave, and 3.3% for American Express. Invoices that are in excess of $5,000 and where the card holder is not present, cannot be charged to a credit card without prior arrangement. Cheques are no longer accepted.
The buyer is responsible for any bank fees and charges applicable for the transfer of funds into Webb’s account.
5.3. Collection of Purchases & Insurance
Webb’s is entitled to retain items sold until all amounts due to us have been received in full in cleared funds. Subject to this, the Buyer shall collect purchased lots within 2 days from the date of the sale unless otherwise agreed in writing between Webb’s and the Buyer.
At the fall of the hammer, insurance is the responsibility of the purchaser.
5.4. Packing, Handling and Shipping
Webb’s will be able to suggest removals companies that the buyer can use but takes no responsibility whatsoever for the actions of any recommended third party. Webb’s can pack and handle goods purchased at the auction by agreement and a charge will be made for this service. All packing, shipping, insurance, postage & associated charges will be borne by the purchaser.
5.5. Permits, Licences and Certificates
Under The Protected Objects Act 1975, buyers may be required to obtain a licence for certain categories of items in a sale from the Ministry of Culture & Heritage, PO Box 5364, Wellington.
5.6. Remedies for Non-Payment
If the Buyer fails to make full payment immediately, 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)
5.6.1. to charge interest at such a rate as we shall reasonably decide.
5.6.2. 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.
5.6.3. to cancel the sale.
5.6.4. to resell the property publicly or privately on such terms as we see fit.
5.6.5. 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 Buyer can have no claim upon Webb’s in the event that the item(s) are sold for an amount greater than the original invoiced amount.
5.6.6. to set off against any amounts which Webb’s may owe the Buyer in any other transactions, the outstanding amount remaining unpaid by the Buyer.
5.6.7. where several amounts are owed by the Buyer to us, in respect of different transactions, to apply any amount paid to discharge any amount owed in respect of any particular transaction, whether or not the Buyer so directs.
5.6.8. 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.
5.6.9. to exercise all the rights and remedies of a person holding security over any property in our possession owned by the Buyer whether by way of pledge, security interest or in any other way, to the fullest extent permitted by the law of the place where such property is located. The Buyer will be deemed to have been granted such security to us and we may retain such property as collateral security for said Buyer’s obligations to us.
5.6.10. to take such other action as Webb’s deem necessary or appropriate.
If we do sell the property under paragraph (4), then the defaulting Buyer shall be liable for payment of any deficiency between the total amount originally due to us and the price obtained upon reselling as well as for all costs, expenses, damages, legal fees and commissions and premiums of whatever kinds associated with both sales or otherwise arising from the default.
If we pay any amount to the Seller under paragraph (5) the Buyer acknowledges that Webb’s shall have all of the rights of the Seller, however arising, to pursue the Buyer for such amount.
5.7. Failure to Collect Purchases
Where purchases are not collected within 2 days from the sale date, whether or not payment has been made, we shall be permitted to remove the property to a warehouse at the buyer’s expense, and only release the items after payment in full has been made of removal, storage handling, insurance and any other costs incurred, together with payment of all other amounts due to us.
6. Extent of Webb’s Liability
Webb’s agrees to refund the purchase price in the circumstances of the Limited Warranty set out in paragraph 7 below. Apart from that, neither the Seller nor we, nor any of our employees or agents are responsible for the correctness of any statement of whatever kind concerning any lot, whether written or oral, nor for any other errors or omissions in description or for any faults or defects in any lots. Except as stated in paragraph 7 below, neither the Seller, ourselves, our officers, agents or employees give any representation warranty or guarantee or assume any liability of any kind in respect of any lot with regard to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, description, size, quality, condition, attribution, authenticity, rarity, importance, medium, provenance, exhibition history, literature or historical relevance. Except as required by local law any warranty of any kind is excluded by this paragraph.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this paragraph, the Seller warrants for the period of thirty days from the date of the sale that any property described in this catalogue (noting such description may be amended by any saleroom notice or announcement) which is stated without qualification to be the work of a named author or authorship is authentic and not a forgery. The term “Author” or “authorship” refers to the creator of the property or to the period, culture, source, or origin as the case may be, with which the creation of such property is identified in the catalogue.
The warranty is subject to the following: it does not apply where a) the catalogue description or saleroom notice corresponded to the generally accepted opinion of scholars and experts at the date of the sale or fairly indicated that there was a conflict of opinions, or b) correct identification of a lot can be demonstrated only by means of a scientific process not generally accepted for use until after publication of the catalogue or a process which at the date of the publication of the catalogue was unreasonably expensive or impractical or likely to have caused damage to the property.
the benefits of the warranty are not assignable and shall apply only to the original buyer of the lot as shown on the invoice originally issued by Webb’s when the lot was sold at Auction.
the Original Buyer must have remained the owner of the lot without disposing of any interest in it to any third party.
The Buyer’s sole and exclusive remedy against the Seller in place of any other remedy which might be available, is the cancellation of the sale and the refund of the original purchase price paid for the lot less the buyer’s premium which is non-refundable. Neither the Seller
nor Webb’s will be liable for any special, incidental nor consequential damages including, without limitation, loss of profits.
The Buyer must give written notice of claim to us within thirty days of the date of the Auction. The Seller shall have the right, to require the Buyer to obtain two written opinions by recognised experts in the field, mutually acceptable to the Buyer and Webb’s to decide whether or not to cancel the sale under warranty.
the Buyer must return the lot to Seller in the same condition that it was purchased.
8.
If any part of these Conditions of Sale is found by any court to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that part shall be discounted, and the rest of the Conditions shall continue to be valid to the fullest extent permitted by law.
9. Copyright
The copyright in all images, illustrations and written material produced by Webb’s relating to a lot including the contents of this catalogue, is and shall remain the property at all times of Webb’s and shall not be used by the Buyer, nor by anyone else without our prior written consent. 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
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
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 Webb’s prior to auction for updated pre-sale estimates and starting prices.
12. Sale Results
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.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.
Albrecht, Gretchen 20, 22-23, 62
Angus, Rita 50
Apple, Billy 65
Ashken, Tanya 65
B
Badcock, Douglas 56
Baird, Annie 56-57
Bensemann, Leo 57
Blair, Philippa 64
Brake, Brian 66
Browne, Michael 71
C
Carson, Peter 68
Charteris, Chris 30
Cora-Allan 15
Cotton, Shane 36
D
Darragh, Judy 15
Dashper, Julian 17, 47
Day, Melvin 71 de Lautour, Tony 34, 46
Drawbridge, John 58, 62 Driver, Don 65
E
Feu'u, Fatu 54
Ford, John Bevan 28
Friedlander, Marti 66
Frizzell, Dick 67
G
Gimblett, Max 17, 38, 48
Gossage, Star 25
H
Ellis, Robert 26, 40, 54 F
Hammond, Bill 35
Hanly, Pat 58, 67
Harris, Jeffrey 28
Henderson, Louise 51
Hodgkins, Frances 57
Hotere, Ralph 29, 36, 39, 70
Hoyte, John Barr Clarke 60-61 Hutchinson, Lonnie 15 I
Intra, Giovanni 47 J
Johns, John 27 Jordan, Col 63 K
Kahukiwa, Robyn 46 Killeen, Richard 14 King, Virginia 32
Lohte, Andre 58
Lurçat, Jean 48 Lyne, Dick 14 M
Maddox, Allen 42-45
Maughan, Karl 49
McIntyre, Peter 68, 69
MacLeod, Euan 54
McWhannell, Richard 70
Morris, Simon 63, 71
Muru, Selwyn 46 N
Ngan, Guy 34, 38
Pardington, Fiona 36-37
Perrett, J. D. 69 Pick, Séraphine 24 Pieters, Kim 25
Popovici, Cristina 71 R
Rae, Jude 17, 70
Reihana, Lisa 52
Reynolds, John 47
Robinson, Ann 27
Robley, Horatio 59 S
Scott, Ian 64
Seymour, Ava 47
Siddell, Emily 26
Smither, Michael 63
Spencer Bower, Olivia 50
Stoddart, Margaret 56
Straka, Heather 36
Stringer, Terry 26
Sutton, Bill 56
Tapper, Garth 69
Taylor, E Mervyn 59
Thomson, Elizabeth 26
Tibbo, Teuane 14, 55 Todd, Yvonne 66
Trusttum, Philip 71 V
van der Velden, Petrus 68 W
Walters, Gordon 16, 17, 63
Westra, Ans 66
Wheeler, Colin 57, 69
White, A Lois 28
White, Robin 17, 29
Wolfe, Emily 70
Woollaston, Toss 58, 62 Y
Yearbury, Pauline 55
