10.10.21 Art to Date
0634 Auction Catalogue October 2021 Contemporary, Modern and Historical Art
Don Peebles Expectations
Exhilaration at first sight. Bentayga S. Discover seductive style and addictive performance at bentleyauckland.com or call (09) 975 8070. Visit us at 119 Great North Road, Grey Lynn.
The name ‘Bentley’ and the ‘B’ in wings device are registered trademarks. © 2021 Bentley Motors Limited.
BENTLEY AUCKLAND
Auckland • Hamilton • Wellington • Christchurch cittadesign.com • @citta
Same greatness, new design
OUR CLE V ER K ITCHEN CO M PA N I O N S H AV E A N ENCH A N TING NE W LOOK NOW Mysterious and subtle, yet beautiful and inviting. That’s Graphite Grey. A new design that takes a step back into the foreground to incorporate itself into the heart of your home flawlessly. CO O K I N G PA S S I O N S I N C E 1877
N E F F. C O . N Z
HOBSON HOUSE A sumptuous colonial residence evoking old world charm and renovated to the highest order. Encompassing a large flat site containing approximately half an acre of grounds, the property provides a full-size tennis court, heated pool, and layers of beautifully landscaped gardens.
The convenient location is minutes to Newmarket, the local train station, motorway access, and a short commute via the waterfront to the CBD. This trophy home is also close to beautiful parks and recreational areas including Waiata Reserve. Price$22,500,000, part trade of a family home can be considered. Call Michael to organise a private inspection.
Michael Boulgaris (021) 366 366 Michael@boulgaris.com
Full details front page boulgaris.com
martell xo
Mark your martell xo martell xo fining Moments Mark your Mark your ENJOY RESPONSIBLY efining Moments Defining Moments ENJOY RESPONSIBLY
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY
21/7/20 5:22 pm
JEWELLERY SHOWROOM
5 NEWTON ROAD, GREY LYNN
M E A D O W L A R K . C O. NZ
THE ART OF REVEALING NATURE
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
Celebrate spring with a fabulous selection of finest quality artisan ingredients, heat-and-eat gourmet meals, wine and inspirational recipes. Come and visit our store before, or after, your next Webb’s viewing. We are conveniently located virtually next door, and open 7 days.
57 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland.
Telephone: 09-630 8751 www.sabato.co.nz
Experience the Gallery’s collection from the perspective of our place in Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean. Ani O’Neill ‘etu iti (detail) 2006. Kikau (coconut midrib), feathers, raffia, shells, beads, sequins, videotape, recycled plastic, nylon yarn, wire. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2018
Strategic partners
Collector in Conversation
Emma Lewisham Founder Emma Lewisham Skincare, Auckland
Emma Lewisham's love of art began with engaging in her familys collection. Her first acquisition was in her mid twenties while living in Europe. What do you do? Founder of Emma Lewisham Skincare. How did you start collecting? I started collecting art in my mid-twenties when I lived in Barcelona, and I haven't stopped since. What’s a work you feel connected to? A beautiful Don Binney piece at my husband’s family's home. Lewisham pictured at her home in Grey Lynn, Auckland, surrounded by her collection.
Why is art important to you? When we connect with art, we are connecting with our inner selves. It enables us to look within and to listen to our inner-being. Art helps us realise what we care about, what deserves the space within our lives and ultimately, helps us realise who we are.
Webb's
2021
09
Foreword
The art depatment team at Webb's, left to right: Adrienne (AD) Schierning, David Maskill, Tasha Jenkins, Charles Ninow, Carey Young, Julian McKinnon and Connie Dwyer.
Kia ora koutou, nau mai haere mai ki te Whiringa-ā-nuku Art to Date, welcome to our October Art to Date catalogue. We are absolutely thrilled to present such a vibrant selection of works including the second edition of our Select catalogue. Here we find ourselves again, in what now seems to be a familiar part of life – the lockdown. When working from home, creativity becomes an even more vital skill. Thinking on our feet and coming up with new ways to work have become a way of life. We have enjoyed working remotely on this catalogue, using Zoom, numerous phone calls and emails to make it happen. Our team have compiled the following presentation of works that we hope will delight and entertain you as much as producing it did us. At times like this, we find art becomes more important than ever, as we seek meaning, beauty, understanding and sometimes just an escape from reality. We will hold our auction on the 10th of October. Ideally, we will be able to offer physical viewings prior to the sale, but we are asking that you check our website for updates to confirm what viewing is possible. We have all learnt that things can change quickly and the best way to keep information on this sale up to date is through our website. As we are all spending more time at home, we are looking to provide multifaceted opportunities for gaining a deeper understanding into the artworks we are presenting. We have included more writing in our catalogue and as always we are very keen to hear your thoughts and questions on any of the works we present. We have also added more video content around the works to our social media platforms, including live Instagram discussions. October Art to Date is a bit different to our usual Art to Date catalogue. Not only do we offer our second iteration of the Select sale, handpicked pairings of works to present a new reading, but we have also partnered with our Asian Art department to offer a section of contemporary works by Chinese artists. Within the main catalogue we have a beautiful suite of works from Bill Hammond. Included are etchings, lithographs and a painting that all span different phases of the artists oeuvre. This demonstrates Hammond’s dexterity with different mediums. Collections of Don Peebles and Graham Sydney are also featured – showing again studies, prints, works on paper and paintings or sculptural works that capture different facets of the creative process. Webb's
October
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge two recent and significant losses within the art world. Earlier this year I had the privilege of researching Judith Gifford’s career. Reading and gaining an understanding of her contribution to visual art in Aotearoa was inspirational, especially as a woman within the industry. Gifford was an incredibly successful and visionary gallerist who played a fundamental part of building upon our fledgling art world of the time. Judith’s legacy will continue through the artists she worked alongside and the building blocks she put in place for the healthy art ecology we enjoy today. It is extremely sad to acknowledge the passing of Billy Apple. On a very personal note Billy is someone I have known since I was only 19. When I first moved to Auckland and started out at Elam, Billy would take the time to talk to my younger self at openings held at Teststrip or Fiat Lux. We started a lively and honest banter that has continued ever since, and I will miss seeing Billy at Webb’s. My deepest condolences go out to his family and everyone who is mourning the loss of this artistic giant. Our team is very much looking forward to being back in the building at Webb’s, working onsite with our team rather than remotely. But more than this we look forward to opening our doors again. Sharing our thoughts on artworks and the result of our hard work compiling the following catalogue for you. Do get in touch with myself or one of the team as it is always a pleasure to hear from our clients. Ngā mihi nui, AD
Adrienne (AD) Schierning Manager, Art +64 27 929 5609 ad@webbs.co.nz 10
Auction Highlights
2
1
Notable highlights from 2021 include various works that have sold at record prices. 1 Buck Nin untitled c1990, acrylic on canvas, 1860 x 1400mm est $25,000 - $35,000 Price Realised $83,487 2 Ralph Hotere Les Saintes Marie de la Mer 2002, enamel on mirror, 1180mm (diameter) est $90,000 - $120,000 Price Realised $156,163
4
3
3 Rita Angus Portrait of Robert Erwin c1953, watercolour on paper, 330 x 230mm est $25,000 - $35,000 Price Realised $39,041 4 Guy Ngan 21 1975, aluminium, 165 x 210 x 110mm est $8,000 - $12,000 Price Realised $21,022 5 Bill Hammond untitled 2014, acrylic on canvas, 235 x 190mm est $26,000 - $36,000 Price Realised $41,443 Webb's
5 2021
11
Industry Leading Valuations Specialists
With the dramatic shifts and spikes in value we have seen in the art market recently, it is important to keep insurance cover of your collection up to date. There is no time like right now to revisit the value of your cultural assets. At Webb’s we have the team to assist with all aspects of your collection management. Webb’s is very pleased to welcome Charles Tongue as our new Valuations Specialist. Charles has a broad knowledge of New Zealand and international Art. He comes to us from Vernon Systems where he has been assisting collectors and museums globally with collection management systems. This follows 15 years managing commercial art galleries in Auckland. We would love to hear from you and assist you with a valuation, or any aspect of collection management that you require. Webb's
May
Charles Tongue Valuations Specialist valuations@webbs.co.nz +64 22 406 5514 12
Table of Contents
Auction & Viewing
15
Plates 17
Webb's
Terms & Conditions
75
Index of Artists
78
Absentee Bid Form
79
2021
13
Auction & Viewing
For preview and viewing details please visit our website webbs.co.nz Art to Date Auction Sunday 10 October
2pm
Select Auction Sunday 10 October
5pm
Auctions Private Sales Valuations auction@webbs.co.nz +64 9 529 5600 33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand Webb's
2021
15
Swallowing Geography
Working drawing (detail) F series no. 6 Te Awanga Pieces, 1979 Image courtesy Matt Pine & the Matt Pine archive
42 Queen Street Ngāmotu New Plymouth Aotearoa New Zealand
govettbrewster.com
Matt Pine Shona Rapira Davies Kate Newby Ana Iti
Plates
Specialist Enquiries Charles Ninow Head of Art charles@webbs.co.nz +64 21 053 6504
AD Schierning Manager, Art ad@webbs.co.nz +64 27 929 5609
Wellington Office Carey Young Specialist, Art carey@webbs.co.nz +64 21 368 348
David Maskill Consultant, Art david@webbs.co.nz +64 27 256 0900
Condition Reports Tasha Jenkins Specialist, Art tasha@webbs.co.nz +64 22 595 5610
Connie Dwyer Administrator, Art art@webbs.co.nz +64 9 529 5600
1 Pat Hanly Doing It 1987 screenprint on paper, 8/30 signed, dated and title inscribed 685 × 590mm est
Webb's
$2,500 — $3,500
October
18
3
2
4
2 Pat Hanly New Order Woman 1988 screenprint on paper, 14/31 signed and dated 760 × 625mm
3 Pat Hanly Model & Artist 1987 lithograph on paper, 6/15 signed, dated and title inscribed 190 × 260mm
4 Pat Hanly End of the Golden Age 1981 screenprint and acrylic on paper, 2/50 signed, dated and title inscribed 450 × 600mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$1,200 — $1,800
2021
$1,200 — $1,800
$4,000 — $6,000
19
5
5 Ralph Hotere untitled 1995 lithograph on paper, 16/50 signed, dated and title inscribed 395 × 315mm est Webb's
$5,000 — $8,000 October
20
6
7
9
8
6 Richard Killeen From the Hook Museum 1996 ink on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 281 × 355mm
7 Richard Killeen Dreamtime 1980 oil on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 560 × 380mm
est
est
$3,000 — $5,000
8 Richard Killeen Burning the Children of the Poor Killeen 1998 ink on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 380 × 290mm
$1,500 — $2,500
est est
Webb's
2021
9 Richard Killeen Monument to the Trilobites 1996 ink on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 280 × 355mm $3,000 — $5,000
$3,000 — $5,000 21
Webb's
October
22
Bill Hammond
Bill Hammond (1947-2021) was unquestionably one of New Zealand’s greatest painters. His work has captivated and delighted those who have encountered it, and it is held in all of the key public and private art collections in this country. In many ways, the art community is still processing his passing earlier this year. While it may take some time for us to fully grasp the significance of his legacy, it is already clear that Hammond added a key ingredient to the still-evolving artistic identity of Aotearoa. Hammond’s work possesses layered elements that add rich depth of meaning to his aesthetically exquisite imagery. Former Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū director Jenny Harper stated, “Humorous, anarchic, subversive, ironic – Bill Hammond is an original. From his busy paintings of the 1980s, intensely crammed with seemingly disparate images and references and set within multiple perspectives, […] and on to the luminous masterly paintings […], seldom has New Zealand produced an artist with such a unique pictorial language.”¹ His immediately-recognisable bird paintings are the product of extraordinary skill and a unique artistic vision. They are, quite rightly, highly sought after by collectors and art lovers. Stemming from an epihany he had while visiting the remote Auckland Islands, Hammond’s anthropomorphic birds present a vision. Perhaps proposing an alternate reality in which sentient birds rule the roost. However, there is a darker side to these beautiful works. They critique the ruthless hunt to extinction of many of Aotearoa’s native birds by early European settlers. For both their beauty and the dark history they speak to, these works and the vision they present have become ensconced in New Zealand’s visual art culture. This catalogue presents a significant body of Hammond’s etchings and lithographs from the 1980s through to the early aughts. These prints capture both Hammond’s masterful technical skill, and his sharp wit. The distinctive birds feature in several of them, as do other elements that demonstrate the quality of his draftsmanship. Each work is distinct in content though of a single sensibility. It is evident in the earlier, more cartoonish works that Hammond had a remarkable ability to compose an image. Webb's
2020
Together this body of work offers an intriguing glimpse into a side of Hammond’s practice that generally gets less airtime than his painting. It is a remarkable collection of prints, that collectively reveal something of the artists’ consummate abilities as a crafter of images. Pared back and monochromatic, these works show Hammond’s visual language and wit in numerous expressions. They are also somewhat cryptic, offering clues without revealing answers. They aren’t simple, easily digestible images rather they set up space for a viewer to think and reflect and question. As mentioned earlier in this text, it is too soon to fully appreciate Hammond’s legacy. Nevertheless, it is certain that his work will be admired for many decades to come. It possesses all of the elements of great art: unique vision, technical skill, and a touch of something mysterious that leaves room for individual interpretation.
1
Jenny Harper, foreword to Jingle Jangle Morning. 23
10
11
12
10 Bill Hammond Fish Finder 1, 2 & 3 2003 lithograph on paper, 2/45 signed, dated and title inscribed 555 × 450mm (each panel)
11 Bill Hammond Limbo Bay I 2001 lithograph on paper, 17/45 signed and dated 530 × 745mm
12 Bill Hammond Picnic II 2009 lithograph on paper, 9/27 signed, dated and title inscribed 545 × 690mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$10,000 — $15,000
October
$1,500 — $2,500
$4,000 — $6,000 24
14
13
15
16
17
18
13 Bill Hammond A Previous Life 1981 etching on paper 175 × 255mm
14 Bill Hammond Staying Alive 1981 etching on paper 100 × 260mm
15 Bill Hammond untitled 1981 etching on paper 145 × 255mm
est
est
est
$1,000 — $2,000
$1,000 — $2,000
$1,000 — $2,000
16 Bill Hammond untitled 1981 etching on paper 235 × 145mm
17 Bill Hammond Previous Life 1981 etching on paper 180 × 235mm
18 Bill Hammond untitled 1981 etching on paper 255 × 350mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$1,000 — $2,000
2021
$1,000 — $2,000
$1,000 — $2,000 25
19
20
21
22
23
19 Bill Hammond Rockaway Beach 1981 etching on paper 170 × 255mm
20 Bill Hammond 3 Famous Sleepers 1981 etching on paper 160 × 250mm
est
est
$1,000 — $2,000
21 Bill Hammond The Way Things Are 1981 etching on paper signed on plate 165 × 250mm
$1,000 — $2,000 est
22 Bill Hammond untitled 1981 etching on paper 145 × 255mm
23 Bill Hammond Let's Dance 1981 etching on paper 175 × 235mm
est
est
Webb's
$1,000 — $2,000
October
$1,000 — $2,000
$1,000 — $2,000 26
24
25
26
27
24 Bill Hammond Proto I 2012 lithograph on paper, artist's proof signed, dated and title inscribed 605 × 417 mm
25 Bill Hammond Proto II 2012 lithograph on paper, artist's proof signed, dated and title inscribed 605 × 417 mm
26 Bill Hammond Proto III 2012 lithograph on paper, artist's proof signed, dated and title inscribed 605 × 417 mm
27 Bill Hammond Proto IV 2012 lithograph on paper, artist's proof signed, dated and title inscribed 605 × 417 mm
est
est
est
est
Webb's
$1,500 — $2,500
2021
$1,500 — $2,500
$1,500 — $2,500
$1,500 — $2,500 27
28 Bill Hammond untitled 2001 enamel on ceramic 280 × 280mm est Webb's
Note: From a series of 12 artists’ plates, one of which is held in the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
$18,000 — $24,000 October
28
29
30
31
29 Michael Smither Stay Awake 1972 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 475 × 1195mm
30 Michael Smither Sarah After Bath 1967 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 910 × 610mm
31 Michael Smither The Maestro in Dunedin 1970 oil on board signed and dated 330 × 445 mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$29,000 — $39,000
2021
$20,000 — $40,000
$10,000 — $15,000 29
33
32
34
35
32 Karl Maughan Kristy & Alli 2009 oil on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 380 × 505mm
33 Alan Ibell Before the Fire 2013 acrylic on board signed, dated and title inscribed 840 × 1040mm
34 Gretchen Albrecht Pounamu 2002 lithograph on paper, 46/100 signed, dated and title inscribed 570 × 755mm
35 Allen Maddox untitled 1992 pastel on paper signed and dated 575 × 405mm
est
est
est
est
Webb's
$6,000 — $10,000
October
$3,000 — $6,000
$3,000 — $6,000
$8,000 — $10,000 30
36
37
38
39
36 Max Gimblett Remembrance 2015 screenprint on brass 250 × 250mm (widest points)
37 Max Gimblett Remembrance 2015 screenprint on brass 250 × 250mm (widest points)
38 Max Gimblett Remembrance 2015 screenprint on brass 250 × 250mm (widest points)
39 Max Gimblett Remembrance 2015 screenprint on brass 250 × 250mm (widest points)
est
est
est
est
Webb's
$2,500 — $3,500
2021
$2,000 — $3,000
$2,500 — $3,500
$2,000 — $3,000 31
40
41
42
43
40 Kushana Bush Mother & Sons 2009 gouache and graphite on paper 495 × 705mm
41 Ruth Ing Certainty 2019 acrylic on canvas 750 × 750mm
42 Toby Raine On the Floor 2019 oil on canvas 1100 × 1000mm
est
est
est
$3,000 — $5,000
$4,500 — $6,500
$8,500 — $10,000
43 Toby Raine Caleb Followill with Sideburns and Seedy Hangover 2017 oil on linen signed, dated and title inscribed 450 × 500mm est
Webb's
October
$4,500 — $6,500 32
44
45
46
47
44 Wayne Youle untitled screenprint on paperbags 325 × 590mm est
$2,000 — $3,000
45 Denys Watkins The rise and fall of Captain Edwin Musick 1989 oil on linen signed 2000 × 1100mm est
Webb's
2021
46 Rohan Weallans Stuffing Spiders 2002 acrylic on board signed, dated and title inscribed 950 × 610 × 120mm (widest points)
47 Rohan Weallans Faceless 2003 acrylic on board signed, dated and title inscribed 380 × 330 × 380mm (widest points)
est
est
$3,000 — $5,000
$3,000 — $5,000
$15,000 — $17,000 33
Don Peebles, Robert MacDonald and John Drawbridge at 5 Nugent Tce, St John’s Wood, London, 1962. Photograph by Alex Starkey. Webb's
October
34
Don Peebles
Don Peebles (1922 – 2010) is considered a pioneer of abstraction in Aotearoa. Peebles was born in 1922 in the small town of Taneatua in the Bay of Plenty. He left school at the age of 15, describing it as uninspiring, and became a telegram boy for the New Zealand post office. Peebles’ journey as an artist began after serving in the army from 1941 – 1945 when, at the wars end, he spent time studying art in Florence. He continued his studies at Wellington’s Technical College of Art in 1947, before training under John Passmore at the Julian Ashton School of Arts in Sydney from 1951 to 1953. Peebles’ work stood out and he was the first abstract artist to be granted the Association of New Zealand Art Societies Fellowship Award in 1960. He used this financial boost to leave his then position at the post office to become a full-time artist. Newly married, Peebles left New Zealand with his wife, Prue Corkhill, and headed to the United Kingdom. John Drawbridge was also studying there at the time. Together with Ralph Hotere and Melvyn Day, they formed a group of London-based New Zealand artists. During his time in abroad, Peebles’ work took a dramatic shift; he began making relief works in wood. “Construction, for me, is not a style but simply a method. Neither my reliefs nor my paintings derive from any strict mathematical basis but are assembled with a free sense of order, more characteristic of the painter, than of the functioninfluenced architect or designer. The narrative aspects of art are of less interest to me than the more purely visual and private impulses – if such elements as colour, light, line, form, mass, volume are intimately experienced, they too can result in a very personal statement”.¹ Returning to New Zealand he worked from 1965 to 1986 as a senior lecturer in painting at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts. With a career that spanned over 60 years, it is not surprising that he was awarded the NZ Order of Merit in 1999 for his services to New Zealand art. In 2003 he gained an honorary Doctorate in Literature from the University of Canterbury, and in 2007 he received an Arts Foundation Icon Award. Within this catalogue, we are privileged to offer a suite of works from Peebles. There are three small abstract studies, consisting of acrylic and graphite on paper. In these, we see the artist working through ideas for three-dimensional realisation. These works play on colour, from the delicious bright yellow minimal rectangle to the layered emerald-green structural investigation. They are beautiful visualisations of Webb's
2020
the artists thinking that show a fluidity of painting and ideas flowing onto paper. Untitled Green predates the small studies. Constructed in 1989, the canvas work is a stunning example of the way Peebles used the drapery of canvas as a sculptural form. Layered and stitched, the deep green painted form has instructions in the artist’s hand on its reverse, “Please hang with a slight sag in centre. Do not stretch out tightly.” This ensured that Untitled Green would always hang in a way that allows it to flow into space, with each layer of canvas activated by the sag. Expectations, a later work from 2000, is simpler in terms of its sculptural presence. It has a slight undulation in the unstretched canvas to add a three-dimensional element. The expectation here is undefined, architectural in its map-like structure. There are x’s that perhaps mark a start and finish. It is possible that the expectation referred to is that one will get from one x to the other x, and complete the task set. Don Peebles’ contribution to a developing abstract style in New Zealand is an important part of our art history. He worked against a conservatism of the time that praised artists who held tight to distinctly New Zealand subject matter and stylisation. His work is held in major collections throughout New Zealand including Te Papa Tongarewa, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and many significant private collections.
1 https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/bulletin/187/donpeebles-a-free-sense-of-order 35
48
49
50
48 Don Peebles Studies 1997 acrylic and graphite on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 205 × 290mm
49 Don Peebles untitled 1999 acrylic and graphite on paper signed and dated 205 × 295mm
50 Don Peebles Study 1994 ink and charcoal on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 285 × 205mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$700 — $1,400
October
$700 — $1,400
$700 — $1,400 36
51
52
51 Don Peebles Expectations 2000 acrylic and charcoal on linen signed, dated and title inscribed 1040 × 1330mm (widest points)
52 Don Peebles Untitled Green 1989 acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 1090 × 630mm (widest points)
est
est
Webb's
$18,000 — $26,000
2021
$12,000 — $18,000 37
53
54
53 Don Driver By Air 2004 plastic on tarpaulin signed and dated 1280 × 2500mm
54 Judy Darragh Fluro Jellies 1998 perspex 220 × 220 × 210mm (widest point, each panel)
est
est
Webb's
$10,000 — $20,000
October
$7,000 — $10,000 38
56
55
57
55 Judy Millar Rain 2005 oil on canvas signed and dated 1010 × 710mm est Webb's
56 Shane Cotton untitled acrylic on canvas 200 × 200mm est
$8,000 — $10,000
$6,000 — $8,000
57 Shane Cotton Hei Aha Bro 1997 acrylic and graphite on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 400 × 295mm est
2021
$6,300 — $10,000 39
58
59
60
61
58 Fiona Pardington Totoara / New Zealand Robin 2004 gelatin silver print, 4/5 450 × 590mm
59 Gordon Onslow Hilbury Burt Portrait of Jean Batten c1936 gelatin silver print 180 × 130mm
60 Marti Friedlander Tony Fomison c1978 gelatin silver print 185 × 190mm
est
est
est
61 Neil Pardington untitled c-type print 1120 × 3000mm est
Webb's
$15,000 — $25,000
October
$3,000 — $6,000
$4,000 — $8,000
$7,000 — $12,000 40
62
63
64
65
62 Peter Peryer Pumpkin 2010 digital print 300 × 225mm
63 Becky Nunes Astrae 2014 c-type print 1500 × 1160mm
est
est
$4,000 — $6,000
64 Mark Adams untitled (Museum Fur Volkerkunde, Hamburg, Germany) 2002 cibachrome print 940 × 750mm
$700 — $1,400 est
65 Mark Adams The Onslow Room Clandon Surrey 2007 cibachrome print signed, dated and title inscribed 600 × 480mm
$3,000 — $6,000 est
Webb's
2021
$3,000 — $6,000 41
66 67
68
66 John Weeks untitled oil on canvas 400 × 500mm est
$2,500 — $5,000
69
67 Peter Gibson-Smith Whitcoulls 2001 egg tempera on timber signed, dated and title inscribed 1860 × 2030mm (widest points) est
68 Gavin Chillcott and Bill Hammond untitled 1991 oil on paper signed and dated 790 × 830mm
October
est
$1,000 — $2,000
$6,000 — $10,000 est
Webb's
69 Barry Lett untitled oil on canvas signed 610 × 755mm
$1,500 — $2,500 42
70
71
72
73
70 Theo Schoon untitled 1960 ink on paper signed and dated 300 × 180mm
71 Robin White Black Standard 1981 screenprint on paper, 5/6 signed and dated 340 × 225mm
est
est
Webb's
$1,000 — $2,000
2021
72 Louise Henderson Constitution Week screenprint on paper signed and title inscribed 690 × 500mm
73 Melissa Coote untitled c2012 pigment, arabic gum & resin on paper 1625 × 1130mm
est
est
$2,000 — $3,000
$7,000 — $10,000
$3,000 — $6,000 43
Grahame Sydney
Aotearoa based artist Grahame Sydney has captivated audiences with his meticulous paintings for nearly forty years. His illustrious career has garnered major retrospectives, inclusion in many public collections, multiple books, an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and in 2021, a knighthood. Known for his luminous capture of the world around him, Sydney’s works have a sensibility unique to New Zealand. Often focusing on sparse landscapes or solitary individuals, Sydney’s work has been compared to American artist Edward Hopper, who was also known for capturing the essence of his country. Both artists have the ability to somehow imbue simple, ordinary scenes and subjects with a poetic sense of meaning. For Sydney this subject is often the South Island of Aotearoa, in particular his home of Central Otago, which he has revisited in paintings many times. Although he is perhaps best known for his beautiful landscapes Sydney has explored a range of subject matter over the years. These include careful still lifes, exquisite portraits and, as seen in seven of the eight works featured here, beautiful figure studies. Born in Dunedin in 1948, Sydney studied English and Geography at the University of Otago. He taught at secondary school for two years in the early 1970s and had his first solo exhibition at the Moray Gallery in 1972. Sydney then travelled and taught in London and Europe before returning to Dunedin in 1974 to work as a full-time artist. Four years later he was awarded the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at the University of Otago. In 2003, Sydney was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.¹ Sydney’s paintings are held in private collections throughout the world and in Aoteatoa’s major galleries and institutions, such as the quintessential Rozzie at Pisa (1978) at Te Papa Tongarewa. A major retrospective of his work, Regions of the Heart, was held in 1999 and a second retrospective, On the Road, toured Aotearoa from 2000-2002. Unlike his contemporaries, Sydney now rarely exhibits his work publicly. A precise worker, he often produces no more than six paintings a year and chooses to work mostly with a private client list. This elusiveness makes his rare paintings all the more special and sought after. Drying Hair, the 1988 oil painting in this catalogue, is one of a series of works by Sydney revisiting the classic imagery of the female nude. The work makes clear why Sydney is so fascinated by painting life studies. Able to contort in so many different ways, the shapes of the human body appear anew with each pose. Here, the model is curled over with hands in her hair, as the title Webb's
October
suggests. The curves of her arms, back and knee seem to create one large spiral-like form. Dramatically lit from one side and with the model's face covered, the work becomes about shapes and shadows as much as it is a celebration of the human form. Often featuring his wife as a model, Sydney’s figure study paintings are made with a deep respect for the subject. “It’s a partnership, and I can't paint anyone I don't care about.”² However, oil and egg tempera paintings are not the only mediums that Sydney works in; his repertoire includes watercolour, drawing, etching, lithography and more recently, photography and film. While Attic, an etching on paper, depicts an enticing empty room, the lithographs featured here continue Sydney’s investigation into human form. Always the feature of the work, the figures are depicted in different ways: standing up, lying down, undressing. Some are obviously posed, some more natural. The precise attention given to light, shape and form in Sydney’s paintings is also a feature of these monochromatic prints. Ranging in date from the early 1980s to late 2000s, the lithographs show Sydney’s commitment to the subject matter. For an artist who has explored different mediums and subjects extensively, it is possible to imagine Sydney may no longer have any unexplored painterly ambitions. However, he continues to add to the field of painting in a meaningful way. Like many great artists, Sydney has resolved to only make work that is driven by his own curiosity rather than his audience. He states, “The challenge of finding my own way within the tradition of the nude, adding something of my own character, experience and time, continues to stimulate me today."³
1 https://www.grahamesydney.co.nz/wp-content/ uploads/2021/06/Brief-Timeline-Bio-2021.pdf 2 Julian McKinnon, “Grahame Sydney, Three Works: The artist interviewed by Julian McKinnon”, Works of Art, March 2021, 75. 3 ibid. 44
Grahame Sydney in studio
Webb's
2021
45
74 Grahame Sydney Drying Hair 1988 oil on linen signed and dated 300 × 300mm est Webb's
$20,000 — $30,000 October
46
76 75
77
75 Grahame Sydney Standing Model 1992 lithograph on paper, 16/40 signed, dated and title inscribed 690 × 495mm
76 Grahame Sydney Sleeper 1982 lithograph on paper, 28/75 signed, dated and title inscribed 570 × 755mm
77 Grahame Sydney Upstairs Study 2010 lithograph on paper, 33/50 signed, dated and title inscribed 465 × 660mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$1,500 — $2,500
2021
$1,500 — $2,500
$1,500 — $2,500 47
78
79
78 Grahame Sydney Table Study 1998 lithograph on paper, 17/50 signed, dated and title inscribed 498 × 710mm
79 Grahame Sydney Model Study 1997 lithograph on paper, 11/50 signed, dated and title inscribed 460 × 740mm
est
est
Webb's
$1,500 — $2,500
October
$1,500 — $2,500 48
80
81
80 Grahame Sydney Attic 1982 etching on paper, 5/25 signed, dated and title inscribed 185 × 195mm
81 Grahame Sydney Joey in the Studio 2001 lithograph on paper, 17/70 signed, dated and title inscribed 425 × 630mm
est
est
Webb's
$1,500 — $2,500
2021
$1,500 — $2,500 49
82
83
85
84
82 Ann Robinson untitled cast glass 145 × 260 × 260mm (widest points)
83 Mary-Louise Browne Crux Criticorun acrylic on timber 1010 × 700mm
est
est
$10,000 — $15,000
84 Paul John Beadle untitled c1960 bronze 75 × 115mm
$5,000 — $7,000 est
85 Peter Panyoczki untitled 2016 enamel on aluminium signed and dated 1200 × 1200mm
$3,000 — $6,000 est
Webb's
October
$4,000 — $6,000 50
86
87
89
88
86 Andrew McLeod Cave Complex .5 2003 digital print on paper, edition 2/3 signed, dated and title inscribed 1000 × 800mm
87 Gordon Walters untitled c1970 screenprint on paper 610 × 460mm est
est Webb's
$4,000 — $6,000 2021
$5,000 — $10,000
88 Simon Morris Pause 1 1999 acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 660 × 505mm est
89 Simon Morris Ambience and Association: Structures acrylic on aluminium 2395 × 400mm (each panel) est
$2,800 — $5,000
$3,000 — $6,000
51
90
91
92
93
94
90 Shane Cotton Kikorangi 2003 screenprint on paper, 2/30 signed, dated and title inscribed 500 × 690mm
91 Jenny Doležel Like You, Really 2003 lithograph on paper, 2/30 signed, dated and title inscribed 490 × 690mm
92 Graham Fletcher Tar-Baby 2003 screenprint on paper, 2/30 signed, dated and title inscribed 705 × 500mm
est
est
est
$1,500 — $3,000
$1,000 — $2,000
93 Dick Frizzell Trickle Down 2003 screenprint on paper, 2/30 signed, dated and title inscribed 700 × 500mm
94 John Reynolds McLeavey Sat Here 2011 oilstick and screenprint on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 700 × 500mm
est
est
Webb's
$500 — $1,000
October
$500 — $1,000
$5,000 — $7,000 52
96
95
97
95 Ralph Hotere untitled 1962 ink on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 365 × 255mm est
98
96 Ralph Hotere Pine 7 In Your Wrists 1974 woodblock print and watercolour on paper signed and dated 520 × 380mm
$6,000 — $12,000 est
Webb's
2020
$8,000 — $13,000
97 Ralph Hotere Night Window - Careys Bay 1995 reproduction print, edition of 65 signed, dated and title inscribed 1375 × 730mm
98 Ralph Hotere Round Midnight 'March' 2000 lithograph on paper, 9/24 signed, dated and title inscribed 560 × 760mm
est
est
$6,000 — $10,000
$7,000 — $10,000
53
99
100
102
101
103
104
99 W Mein Smith Sketch on the River Whangaehu c1850s watercolour on paper signed 170 × 245mm
100 W Mein Smith untitled watercolour on paper 225 × 315mm est
101 W Mein Smith untitled watercolour on paper signed 210 × 315mm
$8,000 — $14,000 est
est
102 Marcus King Mitre Peak c1955 oil on board signed 730 × 1000mm
103 Alvin Pankhurst Bleakhouse 1999 oil on canvas signed 560 × 830mm
est
est
$6,000 — $9,000
104 Peter McIntyre Gondolas and the Island of St George Venice 1982 watercolour on paper signed 530 × 720mm
$4,000 — $8,000 est
Webb's
$8,000 — $14,000
$8,000 — $14,000
October
$8,000 — $10,000 54
105
106
107
105 Frances Calcott Turner Two Horses Pulling Gig oil on board 590 × 780mm est
Webb's
$6,000 — $10,000
108
106 Dorothy Kate Richmond Portrait of Rosalind Atkinson 1906 oil on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 750 × 650mm
107 Johan Cornelius Mertz Welcome Intelligence 1859 oil on board signed and dated 500 × 385mm
108 Nicolas Berthon untitled 1831-1888 oil on board signed 715 × 620mm
est
est
est
2020
$8,000 — $10,000
$4,000 — $8,000
$6,000 — $10,000 55
109
111
110
112
114 113
109 John Pule Agaaga 2002 lithograph on paper signed and dated 500 × 300mm
110 Richard Thompson The Labyrinth 1998 acrylic on canvas 2040 × 2780mm est
est
est
Webb's
$4,000 — $8,000
$2,000 — $4,000
112 Laurence Wilson Stormy Day watercolour on paper signed 345 × 520mm
111 Ian Scott Colin McCahon. North Otago 1993 acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 1220 × 940mm est
$6,000 — $9,000
113 Charles Blomfield untitled c1880 oil on canvas signed and dated 610 × 430mm
114 Barry Ross Smith View from the Inside c2005 oil on board signed 910 × 750mm
est
est
$3,000 — $5,000
October
$9,000 — $14,000
$4,000 — $8,000 56
115
117
116
118
119
120
121
115 Nigel Brown Abandon Savage Toys 1984 oil on board signed and dated 480 × 480mm
116 Ross Ritchie Seated Figure in Landscape 1988 oil on canvas signed and dated 790 × 700mm
est
est
117 Horace Moore-Jones Portrait of an Unknown Woman oil on canvas 620 × 510mm est
118 Sidney Robert Nolan untitled acrylic on paper signed 570 × 690mm
$5,000 — $8,000 est
$5,000 — $8,000
119 Alan Pearson Still Life oil on board 298 × 308mm est
Webb's
$4,000 — $8,000
$5,000 — $7,000
120 Geoff Dyer untitled oil on canvas signed 1000 × 1300mm
121 Geoff Dyer untitled watercolour on paper signed 1010 × 1600mm
est
est
$3,000 — $5,000
2020
$5,000 — $8,000
$5,000 — $8,000 57
124
123
125
122 126
122 Ronnie Tjampitjinpa untitled 2005 acrylic on canvas signed and dated 1020 × 720mm
123 Sidney Robert Nolan Bird 1975 acrylic on board signed 1270 × 960mm
124 Tom Wesselmann Nude 1980 aquatint on paper, 49/100 signed and dated 700 × 770 mm
est
est
est
$2,000 — $4,000
125 James Robinson Vacume to Faith ink and acrylic on paper 750 × 500mm est
$5,000 — $8,000
126 Philip Trusttum Dark Entrance 1978-79 oil on canvas 3634 × 1800 mm
$600 — $1,200 est
Webb's
$10,000 — $20,000
October
$5,000 — $8,000 58
Asian Art Section
It is an exciting moment in our history to present an art auction that includes a selection of contemporary art by Asian artists. Art and Asian Art operate as independent departments within Webb’s, and the two have not had a combined auction before. Bringing together leading contemporary New Zealand and Asian art work in a single sale is a significant moment for us. Webb's
October
60
Tom Pan Head of Asian Art + 64 21 045 0118 tom@webbs.co.nz
It is a sign of the growing maturity of the art market in New Zealand that audiences are interested in a greater diversity of collectible artwork. In the past, market interest has focussed on a small handful of artists operating within a specific range of subject matter. Over the decades, this has broadened. Collectors now have diverse tastes and interests. This auction shines a light on this increasing openness and sophistication within our collecting habits. Given the geographical location of Aotearoa, and the increasingly diverse population, it is of no surprise that Asian art has a growing presence in our culture. Contemporary New Zealand is a place where diverse cultural influences have the opportunity to interact and ultimately strengthen one another. Art is a natural area for these cultural threads to intertwine. The Asian Art section of the catalogue presents work by a range of artists, many of whom are now based in New Zealand. Onlie Ong, for example, moved to New Zealand in 1991. He works in a range of media in art, design and pottery. Three of his paintings are included in this auction. Reagan Lee graduated from the Printmaking School of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. In 1991 he migrated to Seychelles. Well known for his expressive portraits, he was the personal painter of President James Alix Michel. He lived there for nearly ten years, before moving to Europe and finally settling in New Zealand. Throughout his career, he has sought to reconcile traditional Chinese art practices with the global concerns he has encountered while immersed in other cultures. Lee’s practice was recognised with a major exhibition at Guangdong Museum of Art, China, in 2012. A number of works in bronze by sculptor Yiqun Pan are included. Pan is a Member of Chinese Artists Association, and of the Chinese Sculpture Society, and was a Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University. His sculptures address humanistic subjects and forms; his figurative works are imaginative and expressively textural. Webb's
2021
Anne Xu Asian Art Administrator + 64 9 529 5608 asianart@webbs.co.nz
We are certain that our contemporary art audience will enjoy engaging with works by the distinguished artists represented in this catalogue, just as we are sure that our Asian Art clientele will appreciate the quality of contemporary New Zealand artwork. The future of interaction between these visual art traditions looks very bright. 我们非常荣幸地在本次现当代艺术品拍卖中为您首次呈现亚洲现当 代艺术作品, 这是 Fine Art 与 Asian Art 两个部门的首次合作, 对于 Webb’s来说也是意义非凡的一刻. 受众对于艺术品收藏呈现出的多样化日渐显著, 表现出新西 兰艺术品市场的日臻成熟. 在过去, 收藏的兴趣点着重在少数特定 的艺术家群体. 而近几十年来, 收藏家呈现出越来越丰富的品味和兴 趣, 这次拍卖正是顺应了这个趋势. 新西兰独特的地理位置以及日益多样化的人口构成, 为多元 文化的互相影响, 互动并互为增益提供了土壤, 亚洲艺术元素也在本 地的文化中逐渐显露头角. 艺术作品自然而然的将这些文化线索交 织在一起, 鲜明且各具特色. 本次拍卖收录的亚洲艺术作品, 大多数来源于已居住在新西 兰多年的艺术家. 例如, Onlie Ong (翁树木, 又名翁笠)于 1991 年移 居新西兰, 他活跃在艺术、设计和陶艺等领域, 他的三幅画作被收录 在本次拍卖中. Reagan Lee (李南凤) 1990年毕业于中央美术学院版画学院, 1991年移居塞舌尔, 曾任 James Alix Michel 总统个人画师. 在塞舌尔 生活了近十年后, Reagan Lee (李南凤) 移居欧洲, 后定居新西兰. 在 他的整个职业生涯中, 他一直试图将中国传统艺术实践与其他文化 相融合来表现社会热点. 本次拍卖还收录了雕塑家 Yiqun Pan (潘毅群) 的多幅青铜作 品. Yiqun Pan (潘毅群) 为清华大学美术学院教授, 中国美术家协会 会员, 中国雕塑学会会员. 他的雕塑作品主要表现人文主题, 形式多 样且极富想象力和表现力. 我们相信, 我们现当代艺术的收藏受众会享受本次拍卖收录 的亚洲艺术作品所带来的体验, 正如我们确信我们的亚洲艺术受众 同样会欣赏新西兰现当代艺术作品的品质. 艺术之间互动转承, 未来 可期. 61
128
127
129
127 Onlie Ong A Legend 传说 2018 oil on canvas signed 240 × 300mm
128 Onlie Ong Empty Nest 空巢 2019 oil on canvas signed 200 × 300mm
129 Onlie Ong The Refuge Hut 避难小屋 2020 oil on canvas signed 300 × 300mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$1,200 — $2,200
October
$1,000 — $2,000
$1,300 — $2,600 62
130 Reagan Lee Fate2020 Pandemic (Beethoven) 命运2020疫(贝多芬) 2020 ink on paper signed 965 × 855mm est Webb's
$100,000 — $150,000 2021
63
132
131
131 Jianxing Lu A Horse Statue 彩陶马 2014 porcelain signed 530 × 230 × 250mm (widest points)
132 Jianxing Lu A Horse Statue 彩陶马 2014 porcelain signed 448 × 230 × 228mm (widest points)
est
est
Webb's
$8,000 — $12,000
October
$8,000 — $12,000 64
133 Jianxing Lu Moving Green Moutain 青山动 2007 porcelain signed 700 × 420 × 350mm (widest points) est Webb's
$150,000 — $200,000 2021
65
134
135
136
134 Haihui Wang Long Bay Park 松林低语 2018 oil on canvas signed 1210 × 905mm
135 Yayo Gao Flowing in Time 流动而生 2019 mixed media signed 540 × 660mm
136 Haihui Wang Blue Concerto 蓝色的协奏 2021 oil on canvas signed 760 × 760mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$22,000 — $35,000
October
$8,000 — $10,000
$8,000 — $10,000 66
137
138
139
140
141
137 Yiqun Pan A Porter 列车员 2018-2019 bronze signed 260 × 170mm (widest points)
138 Yiqun Pan College Students 大学生 2018-2019 bronze signed 250 × 180mm (widest points)
139 Yiqun Pan The Holiday 假期 2018-2019 bronze signed 260 × 180mm (widest points)
est
est
est
$600 — $800
$600 — $800
140 Yiqun Pan Awaiting 等待 2018-2019 bronze signed 210 × 130mm (widest points)
141 Yiqun Pan Cycling 骑行 2018-2019 bronze signed 250 × 100mm (widest points)
est
est
Webb's
$500 — $700
2021
$800 — $1,000
$600 — $800 67
142
143
144
142 Ryan Sun After the Sun 2020 photographic print, wood signed 1080mm; 520 × 420mm; 525 × 425mm:
143 Carissa Meng The Edge of Chaos 混沌的边缘 2020 acrylic on canvas signed 1255 × 1255mm
144 Carissa Meng Birdsong through the Woods 鸟鸣穿过树林 2021 acrylic on canvas signed 1255 × 1255mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$3,600 — $5,600
October
$10,000 — $15,000
$10,000 — $15,000 68
145
146
148
147
145 Qing Yang Water I 2021 archival digital print signed 630 × 450mm
146 Qing Yang Water II 2021 archival digital print signed 420 × 420mm
est
est
$500 — $600
149
147 Hengyue Asin-Gioro Spring 风潜春归 2018 ink on paper signed 870 × 870mm
$450 — $550 est
148 Xiao Chen One Tree Hill 梦幻一树山 1995 oil on canvas signed 1120 × 1130mm
149 Xinli Deng The Mountain 山隐 2020 acrylic on canvas signed 800 × 800mm
est
est
Webb's
$8,500 — $12,000
2021
$1,500 — $2,500
$2,000 — $4,000 69
150
151
152
153
154
155
150 Xianling Zhang Blooming 花开似锦 2020 oil on canvas signed 600 × 800mm
151 Helen Luan Naturally Lily 香溢百合 2006 oil on canvas signed 1210 × 560mm
152 Yi Liu The Holyland 圣境之地 2021 ink on paper signed 1130 × 480mm
est
est
est
$4,000 — $6,000
$5,000 — $8,000
$800 — $1,000
153 Wenwen Liu Pines and Birds 松雀图(扇面) 2020 ink on paper signed 640 × 320mm
154 Wenwen Liu Pines and Clouds 松涛云海图(扇面) 2020 ink on paper signed 640 × 320mm
155 Wenwen Liu Pines by the Spring 老松听泉图(扇面) 2020 ink on paper signed 640 × 320mm
est
est
est
Webb's
$500 — $700
October
$500 — $700
$500 — $700 70
156
157
158
159
156 Jie Xu The Camel Bell 驼铃声声 2017 ink on paper signed 690 × 1380mm
157 Jinshui Lin Support 守望 2021 ink on paper signed 500 × 1000mm
158 Wenbin Lei Landscape 中国水墨画牛息图 2018 ink on paper signed 340 × 340mm
est
est
est
$3,000 — $4,000
$1,200 — $2,400
159 Dandan Wang Our Planet - the beach, the wave and the Galaxy 热爱地球系列-沙滩海浪与星空 2021 oil on canvas signed 700 × 900mm
$1,500 — $2,500 est
Webb's
2021
$5,000 — $6,000 71
160
161
162
163
164
160 Chong Fah Cheong A Chong Fah Cheong Wooden Sculpture No.2 wood signed 719 × 190 × 130mm
161 Chong Fah Cheong A Chong Fah Cheong Wooden Sculpture No.3 wood signed 515 × 390 × 280mm
162 Chong Fah Cheong A Chong Fah Cheong Wooden Sculpture No.1 wood signed 1650 × 440 × 130mm
est
est
est
$1,200 — $4,500
$2,000 — $5,500
163 Chong Fah Cheong A Chong Fah Cheong Wooden Sculpture No.4 - Duck with Baby wood signed 530 × 500mm
164 Chong Fah Cheong A Wooden Hanging Sculpture No.6 wood signed 890 × 570mm
est
est
Webb's
$1,500 — $5,000
October
$3,000 — $8,000
$2,000 — $5,000 72
ST E P I N TO A WO R L D O F
EXTRA MELLOW FLAVOURS
CHIVAS REGAL BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
ENJOY CHIVAS RESPONSIBLY Webb's
October
74
Terms and Conditions The terms and conditions of sale listed here contain the policies of Webb’s (Webb Fine Art). They are the terms on which Webb’s (Webb Fine Art) and the Seller contract with the Buyer. They may be amended by printed Saleroom Notices or oral announcements made before and during the sale. By bidding at auction you agree to be bound by these terms.
1. Background to the Terms used in these Conditions The conditions that are listed below contain terms that are used regularly and may need explanation. They are as follows: “the Buyer” means the person with the highest bid accepted by the Auctioneer. “the Lot” means any item depicted within the sale for auction and in particular the item or items described against any lot number in the catalogue. “the Hammer price” means the amount of the highest bid accepted by the auctioneer in relation to a lot. “the Buyer’s Premium” means the charge payable by the Buyer to the auction house as a percentage of the hammer price. “the Reserve” means the lowest amount at which Webb’s has agreed with the Seller that the lot can be sold. “Forgery” means an item constituting an imitation originally conceived and executed as a whole, with a fraudulent intention to deceive as to authorship, origin, age, period, culture or source, where the correct description as to such matters is not reflected by the description in the catalogue. Accordingly, no lot shall be capable of being a forgery by reason of any damage or restoration work of any kind (Including re-painting). “the insured value” means the amount that Webb’s in its absolute discretion from time to time shall consider the value for which a lot should be covered for insurance (whether or not insurance is arranged by Webb’s). All values expressed in Webb’s catalogues (in any format) are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD$). 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” 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
Webb's
2021
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 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. 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. 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
75
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 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 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
Webb's
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.
the Seller and the Buyer. Risk and responsibility for the lot (including frames or glass where relevant) passes immediately to the Buyer. 4.11. Indicative Bidding Steps, etc. Webb’s reserves the right to refuse any bid, withdraw any lot from sale, to place a reserve on any lot and to advance the bidding according to the following indicative steps: Increment Dollar Range Amount $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 $2,000 $20,000–$50,000 $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 18.5% of the hammer price plus GST. (Goods and Services Tax) where applicable.
4.9. Auctioneers Discretion The Auctioneer has the right at his/ her absolute and sole discretion to refuse any bid, to advance the bidding in such a manner as he/she may decide, to withdraw or divide any lot, to combine any two or more lots and, in the case or error or dispute and whether during or after the sale, to determine the successful bidder, to continue the bidding, to cancel the sale or to reoffer and resell the item in dispute. If any dispute arises after the sale, then Webb’s sale record is conclusive.
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 also be made by credit card in person with a 2.2% merchant fee for Visa and Mastercard 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. Bank cheques are subject to five days clearance. The buyer is responsible for any bank fees and charges applicable for the transfer of funds into Webb’s account.
4.10. Successful Bid and Passing of Risk Subject to the auctioneer’s discretion, the highest bidder accepted by the auctioneer will be the buyer and the striking of his hammer marks the acceptance of the highest bid and the conclusion of a contract for sale between
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
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.
October
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
76
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
Webb's
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. 7.
Limited Warranty
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 2021
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. Severability 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.
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.
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 presale 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.
77
Index of Artists I
S
Ibell, Alan Ing, Ruth
30 32
K Killeen, Richard King, Marcus L
A Adams, Mark Albrecht, Gretchen Asin-Gioro, Hengyue
41 30 69
B Beadle, Paul John Berthon, Nicolas Blomfield, Charles Brown, Nigel Browne, Mary-Louise Burt, Gordon Onslow Hilbury Bush, Kushana
50 55 56 57 50 40 32
C Chen, Xiao Cheong, Chong Fah Chilcott, Gavin and Bill Hammond Coote, Melissa Cotton, Shane
69 72 42 43 39, 52
D Darragh, Judy Deng, Xinli Doležel, Jenny Driver, Don Dyer, Geoff
38 69 52 38 57
F Fletcher, Graham Friedlander, Marti Frizzell, Dick
52 40 52
G Gao, Yayo Gibson-Smith, Peter Gimblett, Max
66 42 31
H Hammond, Bill Hanly, Pat Henderson, Louise Hotere, Ralph
Webb's
21 54
22-28 18,19 43 20, 53
Lee, Reagan Lei, Wenbin Lett, Barry Lin, Jinshui Liu, Wenwen Liu, Yi Lu, Jianxin Luan, Helen
Schoon, Theo Scott, Ian Smith, Barry Ross Smith, W Mein Smither, Michael Sun, Ryan Sydney, Grahame
43 56 56 54 29 68 44-49
T 63 71 42 71 70 70 64, 65 70
M Maddox, Allen Maughan, Karl McIntyre, Peter McLeod, Andrew Meng, Carissa Mertz, Johan Cornelius Millar, Judy Moore-Jones, Horace Morris, Simon
30 30 54 51 68 55 39 57 51
Thompson, Richard Tjampitjinpa, Ronnie Trusttum, Philip Turner, Frances Calcott
Walters, Gordon Wang, Dandan Wang, Haihui Watkins, Denys Weallans, Rohan Weeks, John Wesselmann, Tom White, Robin Wilson, Laurence
51 71 66 33 33 42 58 43 56
X Xu, Jie Y
Nolan, Sidney Robert 57, 58 Nunes, Becky 41
Yang, Qing Youle, Wayne
O
Z 62
56 58 58 55
W
N
Ong, Onlie
G
71
69 33
H Hammond, Bill Hanly, Pat Hartigan, Paul Haszard, Rhona Hellendoorn, Arie Henderson, Louise Hotere, Ralph
46-47 2-3 24-25 20-21 8-9 18-19 32-33
K Killeen, Richard Kregar, Gregor
14-15 4-5
L Leleisi'uao, Andy Lusk, Doris
12-13 2-3
M Matchitt, Para McCahon, Colin McIntyre, Peter Millar, Judy Mrkusich, Milan
30-31 16-17 28-29 26-27 24-25
N Newby, Kate Ngan, Guy Nin, Buck
10-11 4-5 30-31
Zhang, Xianling
70
Parekōwhai, Michael
36-37
R 67 54 50 40 40 57 34-37 41 56
R Raine, Toby 32 Reynolds, John 52 Richmond, Dorothy Kate 55 Ritchie, Ross 57 Robinson, Ann 50 Robinson, James 58
October
34-35
P
P Pan, Yiqun Pankhurst, Alvin Panyoczki, Peter Pardington, Fiona Pardington, Neil Pearson, Alan Peebles, Don Peryer, Peter Pule, John
Gimblett, Max
Select
Robinson, Peter
A
S
Albrecht, Gretchen
26-27
B Binney, Don Brown, Nigel
16-17, 28-29 44-45
38-39 22-23
F Fomison, Tony
22-23
T
D de Lautour, Tony Dibble, Paul
Stringer, Terry
38-39
Taylor, Imogen
18-19
W Walters, Gordon Weallens, Rohan White, Robin Woollaston, Toss
6-7 48 40-41 20-21
42-43
78
Absentee Bid Form
Auctions Private Sales Valuations +64 9 529 5600 auction@webbs.co.nz
In order to register to bid with Webb’s please complete this form and scan or email to auction@webbs.co.nz
33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland, 1024 New Zealand webbs.co.nz Name
Bidder #
(Please Print Clearly)
(Office Use Only)
Email (Please provide for invoice purposes)
Address (PO Box not sufficient)
City
Auction # & Title (Please Print Auction & Title Here)
Postcode Telephone Number(s)
1
2
(In Order of Preference)
Lot Number (in order)
Catalogue Description
Maximum Bid Not including buyer’s premium or GST
I authorise Webb’s to register bids on a per lot basis up to the maximum price I have indicated for each lot. I will not hold Webb’s responsible for any errors that occur. I understand that if my bid is successful, the purchase price will be the sum of my final bid plus the buyer’s premium of 18.5% of the final bid price plus any GST payable on the buyers premium, as indicated in the catalogue. GST will be charged on the buyer’s premium.
I have read and accepted Webb’s terms and conditions as printed in the catalogue and online at www.webbs.co.nz. Bids will not be processed unless this form is signed.
Signature
Date
When The Dust Settles Fundraising Auction 14 – 19 October 2021
Mark Adams Billy Apple® Dan Arps Stella Brennan Mary-Louise Browne Joyce Campbell Phil Dadson Judy Darragh Oscar Enberg Brett Graham Nikau Hindin Gavin Hipkins Jess Johnson Rick Killeen Claudia Kogachi Tony De Lautour Andrew McLeod
Judy Millar Dane Mitchell Julia Morison Fiona Pardington Reuben Paterson Nathan Pohio John Reynolds Peter Robinson Ava Seymour Marie Shannon Ann Shelton Jeena Shin Sarah Smuts-Kennedy Ella Sutherland Yvonne Todd Jade Townsend
Visit our website for images and details artspace-aotearoa.nz Artspace Aotearoa 292 Karangahape Road Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024 New Zealand webbs.co.nz
10.10.21 Select
0634 Auction Catalogue October 2021 Contemporary, Modern and Historical Art
Michael Parekōwhai Rainbow Servant Dreaming
Webb’s is thrilled to present Select, a distinct section of works hand-picked by our team from the Art to Date sale. This smaller catalogue offers pairings of works that allow a deeper understanding or alternate reading. The following pages include stand out works that span decades of artistic practice and present an intriguing perspective of New Zealand’s art history. Included in this offering is a pair of very contemporary cast concrete panels by artist Kate Newby. Newby has a hugely successful international practice and has most recently completed a fantastic and immersive exhibition Yes Tomorrow at Adam Art Gallery, Te Pātaka Toi. Yes Tomorrow also saw the artist experimenting with known materials on a much larger scale – resurfacing a section of the gallery floor in bright turquoise concrete sculpted and moulded away from a level foundation. One of the stand out pairings offered in Select would have to be Imogen Taylor’s early work Attempted Holism from 2014 presented here with an untitled oil on board by Louise Henderson. Taylor’s work draws strongly from a history of painting – heavily focused on more of a herstory. The works are Webb's
2021
sublimely balanced cubist abstractions with often sensual use of colour and form. Born in 1985 and relatively young in her career, Taylor has already been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and residencies. The untitled painting by Henderson shares a playful use of colour and balanced forms. After the success of Louise Henderson: From Life, a recent survey that toured to Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Henderson’s works have seen renewed interest. Webb’s have been resetting market records for the artist, seeing highly competitive bidding for her works. From the ink and wash work of Toss Woollaston to the colourful neon work by Paul Hartigan, this catalogue offers fantastic variety, spanning generations of making in Aotearoa.
01
The duet of works by Pat Hanly (1932 - 2004) and Doris Lusk (1916 - 1990), two of New Zealand’s pre-eminent artists and alums of the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts, display alternate approaches to the archetypal image of the artist’s model. Lusk’s is tenderly rendered in blue, the lines forming their body fading into mid-space. Yet their gaze is direct, firmly focused out of frame. Though Lusk is widely renowned for her landscape painting, this work offers a rare glimpse into foundational art school practice and Lusk’s own focusses as an educator. Lusk taught at her alma mater for many years, life drawing being a key part of the education at the school. Hanly, on the other hand, presents a more gestural impression of the studio scene. There is an immediacy to the flow of the ink in this work, with the brushes movement leaving speckles of pigment across the support. Hanly also includes Webb's
October
the artist and their accoutrements in the sketch. The pictured artist holds their brush aloft, connecting in the picture plane to the knee of the model. This contributes to a myriad of ways of reading the picture. Is the artist standing in front of the canvas they are working on, and thus is this an artwork of an artwork? Further narrative is implied through the picture of a single eye standing on the easel, which regards the artist figure as they work.
02
1 Pat Hanly untitled 1983 ink on paper signed and dated 170 × 232mm
2 Doris Lusk untitled 1968 graphite and pastel on paper signed and dated 345 × 525mm
est
est
Webb's
$4,000 — $6,000
2021
$1,000 — $2,000
03
Guy Ngan (1927 – 2017) has held a prestigious place in the history of sculpture in New Zealand. Born in Wellington to Chinese parents as a second-generation New Zealander, the artist studied in Aotearoa and went on to finish his tertiary education at the prestigious Goldsmiths College, University of London. Also known for his painting, drawing, design, architecture and printmaking, Ngan’s public and smaller scale sculptures are an iconic part of a New Zealand’s 70s aesthetic. His domestic scale sculptural works are investigations into form and material – showing negative spaces as an integral part of the positive form. This untitled piece from 1975 shows the fundamental elements that Ngan is known for. Cast in aluminium, the work has a wonderfully textured surface and its architectural form plays with negative space. Ngan’s work is paired here with contemporary sculptor Webb's
October
Gregor Kregar’s Reflective Simulations. The two works use materials in different ways, while proposing similar investigations into space. Working in three dimensions, the artists both direct the viewer to interact with their pieces – compelling us to see each facet and vista to completely appreciate the dynamism of their works. Kregar, born in Slovenia in 1972, gained his arts education both in Slovenia and at Elam, University of Auckland. His works are often grand in scale and embellish many public spaces throughout New Zealand. Using an array of different materials, and modes of manufacture, Kregar’s works do not fit into a single mould and exist as a series of investigations into different sculptural ideas.
04
3 Guy Ngan untitled 1975 aluminium signed and dated 200 × 450 × 450mm (widest points); 800 × 450 × 450mm (including plinth) est
Webb's
4 Gregor Kregar Reflective Simulations stainless steel 1700 × 1500 × 900mm (widest points) est
$20,000 — $30,000
$20,000 — $30,000
2021
05
These screenprints are based on the paintings of the same names by Gordon Walters (1919 - 1995) held in the Te Papa collection (Genealogy III) and Fletcher Trust collection (Tahi). Both are spectacular examples of Walters’ signature motif – the stylised and abstracted forms based on the koru. Walters began experimenting with the koru motif in the 1950s in an attempt to fuse European pictorial abstraction with indigenous Māori forms. He respected the deep spiritual symbolism of the koru in the Māori world, where it is understood to refer to the endless cycle of birth, death and renewal. In Genealogy III, while the size of the koru motif reduces in the lower two-thirds of the image, at the same time it appears to replicate itself, thereby suggesting the notion of whakapapa or lineage inherent in the title. Walters’ use of the Māori word tahi is also deliberate. In Māori, the word connotes the numeral Webb's
October
one and can also mean simultaneously, as one in unison. This seems to be the meaning that Walters intended here. The yellow and black koru forms create a grid-like effect in which each colour is held in balance by the other, despite the sense of movement they convey.
06
5 Gordon Walters Genealogy III 1971. printed 2020 screenprint on paper, 58/100 indented with Walters Estate blindstamp 1055 × 805mm
6 Gordon Walters Tahi 1969. printed 2021 screenprint on paper, 12/100 indented with Walters Estate blindstamp 1055 × 800mm
est
est
Webb's
$7,000 — $10,000
2021
$10,000 — $15,000
07
Painting is the one medium that has endured many predictions of demise. Over decades, it has consistently defied pronouncements of its end, and reinvented itself as a clear leader in art production. Contemporary painters add to painting’s rich history of making, exploring and pushing the medium towards new outcomes and ways of communicating. Arie Hellendoorn was born in 1980 in the Netherlands, though has been based in Wellington for many years. He is represented in Aotearoa by Suite Gallery, and in Sydney by Sullivan+Strumpf. Hellendoorn’s paintings are undeniably psychedelic. Layered and intricate, they use unlikely combinations of colours and patterns to achieve striking imagery. Structured around figurative subject matter, his paintings strip back the finer details to leave outlined shapes or silhouettes. These easily recognisable forms are then cloaked in a blanket of fractal complexities. In his Webb's
October
own words in a recent interview for Art Collector magazine, the artist stated, “My interest within the hybrid abstract/figurative painting comes from an idea of the departure from [an] accurate representation of the world around us. Figuration is a very literal presentation of the real, and abstraction is a more bodiless representation of the impossible. I am interested in the space between these two sets of ideas, which tends to be more ambiguous in its definition.” His work presents painting in yet another permutation of its rich and storied history.
08
7 Arie Hellendoorn Over Under 2017 acrylic on linen signed, dated and title inscribed 456mm × 380mm
8 Arie Hellendoorn Hatch 2011 acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 700 × 550mm
est
est
Webb's
$3,000 — $6,000
2021
$1,000 — $2,000
09
Aotearoa based artist Kate Newby (born 1979) is known for her poetic and site responsive artworks. Using familiar materials such as clay, stones, glass and string, Newby makes precise interventions within a pre-existing space. Her works have a performative element. This is evident in the physicality of the materials used and the techniques she employs: squeezing, digging, burying, threading, and rearranging. This emphasis on the handmade, the use of everyday materials and banal locations create considered works that both connect with and contrast against their environments. The two untitled works here appear as domestic sized versions of Newby’s larger interventions. While other works by the artist fill an entire floor with craggy concrete, stones or bricks - such as Crawl out your window, winner of the 2012 Walter’s Prize - these two works are more manageable in their scale. Their Webb's
October
rectangular shape and strata-like side view gives the impression they are a segment of a larger area, like a piece of concrete and crystal pie. The yellowy sand-like slabs are installed on the ground and draw attention to any similarities and differences of the floor underneath. Like many of Newby’s works, their appeal is in their naturalness – almost, but not quite, blending in.
10
9 Kate Newby untitled c2009 crystals, rocks, concrete 335 × 510 × 90mm (widest points)
10 Kate Newby untitled c2009 crystals, rocks, concrete 335 × 510 × 95mm (widest points)
est
est
Webb's
$1,000 — $2,000
2021
$1,000 — $2,000
11
Andy Leleisi’uao (born 1969) is a New Zealand born Samoan artist. Since receiving his Masters in Fine Art from Auckland University of Technology, Leleisi’uao has gone on to win several prestigious residencies and awards. In 2010 he was the McCahon House artist in residence in Titirangi, and has also completed residencies in Taiwan, Rarotonga and Slovakia. The artist’s Samoan heritage is integral to interpreting his work, which is layered in iconography. His paintings have a strong and identifiable style that includes a bold use of colour, with heavily contrasting use of black, white and primary colours. The works are symbolic narratives that dance across and fill the picture plane. One often feels as though Lelesi’uao’s works should be read as a book, left to right. Though the narrative often ends on more of a question than a defined conclusion. His pictorial lexicon references a mash-up of contemporary and Webb's
October
historical visual languages such as hieroglyphics, sapia cloth and rock art, with an occasional comic-book twist. Distinguished curator Ron Brownson states, “His art is about people and how they get on together, as lovers, as families, as insiders and outsiders. As immigrants. News can be good and bad and it must be lived with.” Living with Leleisi’uao’s bold, inventive works is an easy pleasure. They tell a new narrative of contemporary and imagined histories or futures.
12
11 Andy Leleisi'uao untitled 2009 acrylic on canvas signed 455 × 355mm
12 Andy Leleisi'uao untitled 2009 acrylic on canvas signed 355 × 275mm
est
est
Webb's
$3,000 — $6,000
2021
$3,000 — $6,000
13
Richard Killeen (born 1946) has been considered the poster-boy of post-Modern New Zealand art since he dispensed with the conventional frame and produced his iconic “cut-outs” in the late 1970s. From his time as an art student in Auckland in the 1960s, where he was tutored by the likes of Colin McCahon, Killeen has pushed the boundaries of his practice. By the late 1980s, he developed an alternative to his “cut-outs” using the older but still related technique of collage, whereby cutout forms are assembled and stuck (from the French collé) to a chosen ground. In the case of Battery Chickens, the ground is polystyrene. By the mid-2000s, with new technology now available, Killeen dispensed with the manual process of collage. Instead, he created similar effects digitally, as is the case with Artificial Boat. He wittily reintroduces the frame, decorating it with the native flora and fauna (eels and feathers). The digital process Webb's
October
allows for the intense, hyper-real forms to be strewn, apparently randomly across a faux-woodgrain table. His sources here are historical – the pronk or overladen still lifes of 17th-century Dutch painting. These were produced in large numbers towards the end of the period of affluence of the Dutch Republic. Produced just before the global financial crisis of 2007-8, Killeen seems to predict a similar period when the belief in the principles of the free market were tested and found wanting. After all, he seems to be saying, we are all in the same boat.
14
13 Richard Killeen Battery Chickens 1988 acrylic and collage on polystyrene signed, dated and title inscribed 940 × 1160mm
14 Richard Killeen Artificial Boat 2006 light jet print signed, dated and title inscribed 965 × 1165mm
est
est
Webb's
$17,000 — $27,000
2021
$6,000 — $9,000
15
Although both of these works are the result of the artists’ deeply personal responses to specific New Zealand locations, they nonetheless transcend the particular. Both are instantly recognisable as the work of their distinguished creators. Don Binney’s (1940 - 2012) Manunui, Ōtakamiro shows one of his signature birds, literally a big bird (manu nui), soaring over Ōtakamiro Point. This site is at the southern end of Muriwai Beach near Auckland, and home to a large gannet colony. Colin McCahon’s (1919 - 1987) North Otago Landscape is based on the series of twenty-five paintings he made of his beloved Otago. These paintings were exhibited at Barry Lett Galleries in Auckland, 1967. While it does not exactly replicate any of the twenty-five canvasses, the screenprint was included in a portfolio of twelve prints published by Barry Lett in 1968. Each of the twelve prints was by a different New Zealand artist (incidentally a different Webb's
October
work by Don Binney was also included). The broad flat areas of largely unmodulated colour that the screenprinting process allows is perfectly suited to both works. Both Binney and McCahon sought to simplify and pare down their respective pictorial motifs – sky, bird and land – to their essentials. In so doing, they produced instantly recognisable icons of New Zealand art.
16
15 Don Binney Manunui, Otakamiro 2010 screenprint on paper, 80/80 signed, dated and title inscribed 750 × 560mm
16 Colin McCahon North Otago Landscape 1968 screenprint on paper 560 × 760mm est
est
Webb's
$4,000 — $8,000
$12,000 — $18,000
2021
17
Louise Henderson (1902 – 1994) was one of the first painters in Aotearoa to fully engage in complete abstraction. Born in Paris, Henderson migrated to New Zealand in 1925. Once here, she studied art before becoming an art teacher and lifelong artist, with work spanning decades, mediums and genres. Heavily influenced by European cubism, Henderson challenged and adapted a traditionally masculine genre by employing joyous colour, curves and lines. In the untitled work seen here, there is a painterly softness to the pleasing shapes that traditional cubism usually rebuffed. Henderson’s commitment to abstraction allowed her to distance herself from the style of other New Zealand artists of the time and forge her own path. Contemporary artist Imogen Taylor (born 1985) also challenges European traditions of cubism and abstract modernism. Her paintings play with colour, line and form to create refreshing Webb's
October
works that hint at salacious subject matter. Here, Attempted Holism’s sunny colours, delicate shapes and decorated frame give the work a lightness. The amusing title contrasts with these bright tones and informs us the work doesn’t take itself too seriously. By embracing lively colours and curves alongside geometric shapes, Taylor seems to be continuing a newer tradition, employed by artists like Henderson, of reclaiming traditional abstraction on her own terms.
18
17 Imogen Taylor Attempted Holism 2014 watercolour on paper; artist's frame signed, dated and title inscribed 320 × 270mm
18 Louise Henderson untitled c1980s oil on board 1200 × 745mm est
est
Webb's
$20,000 — $30,000
$1,000 — $2,000
2021
19
Presented here are a pair of watercolour works by two New Zealand artists. Both artists pushed the boundaries of painting and paved the way for twentieth century modernism in Aotearoa. While Toss Woollaston and Rhona Haszard did not cross paths, they both lived their lives and careers on their own terms. Haszard (1901 – 1931) led a bohemian lifestyle, and her artistic endeavours were seen as controversial for a woman in the early 1900s. Woollaston (1910 - 1988) was part of a generation of artists and writers who strove to distinguish their New Zealand culture from the then dominant British culture. Both Haszard and Woollaston spent time at the Canterbury College of Art and share connections to The Group artists, which included Rita Angus, Ngaio Marsh, Evelyn Page, Rata Lovell-Smith and Olivia Spencer Bower. The simplified forms and clear areas of colour in this work by Haszard indicate early forays into abstraction. Likely painted Webb's
October
in Europe, the painting transforms icebergs at sea into jewel-like geometric planes of purple and blue. Haszard migrated from New Zealand to Europe in the 1920s, and continued to travel and paint until her untimely death at the age of 30. Although Haszard’s life and career was cut short, she made an important contribution to early modernism in Aotearoa. This legacy was continued by artists like Woollaston, whose distinctive expressive style has made him one of New Zealand’s most iconic artists. Woollaston successfully adapted European artistic movements into his own uniquely New Zealand style of modernist painting. This 1960 ink and wash study exemplifies the simple abstracted landscapes the artist became known for. Energetic swathes of wash become mountains and land, while clouds and scrub are merely suggested through dark gestural ink marks.
20
19 Rhona Haszard untitled c1920s watercolour on paper signed 275 × 315 mm
20 Toss Woollaston Nelson Bay 1960 ink on paper signed 265 × 355mm
est
est
Webb's
$10,000 — $20,000
2021
$1,500 — $3,000
21
Terry Stringer (born 1946) and Paul Dibble (born 1943) are both sculptural pioneers in New Zealand. The two artists are represented here with works cast in bronze, which respectively capture stillness and action. The works have a deep, rich patina that has accumulated on the surface, and in both cases were personally cast by the artist, an uncommon practice. The expertise of the two sculptors is reflected in the quality of these works. Stringer’s Study of a Sleeping Cat presents a familiar domestic animal, smoothly rendered but with cubist angles. It curls into itself, fitting snug to the surface it is placed on. While Stringer’s work often depicts the abstracted human forms, in this work the artist is perhaps depicting humanity through such a loving portrayal of a domestic animal. Peace emanates from the sleeping cat, whose restful pose is familiar to any cat-lover. Webb's
October
In The Devil and the Big Bang, Dibble presents a paused confrontation between religious and scientific beliefs, the devil caught agog by the suggested ongoing expansion of the starlike explosion. The figure and the encapsulation of energy are expressive, one expects the figure to totter back at any point, restoring its balance. The visible marks of creation on the devil, moulded by the artists hand in wax, serve to emphasise the energy and motion in this work.
22
21 Paul Dibble The Devil and the Big Bang 2007 bronze signed and dated 390 × 365 × 95mm (widest points)
22 Terry Stringer Study of a Sleeping Cat 1979 bronze, 3/5 signed 90 × 360 × 255mm (widest points)
est
est
Webb's
$15,000 — $25,000
2021
$7,000 — $10,000
23
The combination of Milan Mrkusich’s (1925 - 2018) Two Areas Blue and Paul Hartigan’s (born 1953) Revolution 8 Driver the Don bring to mind imagery cast by David Bowie in 1977’s Sound and Vision, ‘blue, blue, electric blue’. The dim, static light described by Bowie is replicated in paint by Mrkusich, in which the two blue tones are speckled, making the painting pulse with energy. The work seems backlit through its layered tones, as if it could be the sole light source in a dark room. It is at an immersive scale, one cannot help but retreat into this charged environment. Hartigan’s neon work is a less metaphoric vision of the electric. The consistent glow of the neon gives this swirling work life. The tondo-shaped light is an homage to Don Driver, alluded to in its title as well as its use of some of Driver’s most recognisable colours. It is target like. The vibrant light and coiled shape make
Webb's
October
the work appear to be ready to spring into action when given the word ‘go’. Presented together in the catalogue, these two works reveal duality, contrast, and perhaps a touch of melancholia. Both pulse with life. These works draw the viewer in like moths to a flame. Or, in this case, an undeniable attraction to colour and light.
24
23 Paul Hartigan Revolution 8 Driver the Don 2007 neon on perspex 300 × 300 × 100mm est
24 Milan Mrkusich Two Areas Blue 1980 acrylic on board signed, dated and title inscribed 1240 × 1830mm
$10,000 — $15,000 est
Webb's
2021
$57,000 — $100,000
25
Gretchen Albrecht (born 1943) is renowned for her use of hemisphere and oval forms, usually in the construction of the pictorial supports she works on. In the case of Study for Painting (After Zeshin), the hemispheric reference is in the painting itself; the central curved shape is reminiscent of a fan. This link is made more definate by the titular reference to Japanese painter Shibata Zeshin, whose work frequently included the fan shape. In the tradition of action painting, Judy Millar (born 1957) produces work that captures gesture in the moment. One could perhaps interpret the swirl of paint running through the picture plane here as the figure of a woman, or say that a woman is present in as much as that Millar herself cannot be seperated from her art; action painting is the artist, woven in time. It is in their masterful use of colour that these two works find common ground. The peachy tones of Millar’s painting provide Webb's
October
a harmonious backdrop that emphasise the dark mark-making that advances toward the viewer, creating depth and negating it at the same time. Albrecht’s colour scheme also presents visual depth. The cool tones bleed, one into another, with the masterful blending the artist is so well-known for. Rather than the push and pull of Millar’s work, Albrecht offers the viewer a distinct form on an undifferentiated background. The similarites and differences between these works offer insight into the working methods and particularities of two of Aotearoa’s greatest living painters.
26
25 Judy Millar untitled oil and acrylic on paper 295 × 210mm est
26 Gretchen Albrecht Study for painting (after Zeshin) 1983 watercolour on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 600 × 800mm
$2,500 — $3,500
est
Webb's
2021
$12,000 — $18,000
27
Although painted at similar times in the mid-1960s, these two works show how each artist has approached the motif of the New Zealand landscape in dramatically different ways. Peter McIntyre’s (1910 - 1995) view of the Lindis Pass on the West Coast of the South Island captures something of the remoteness of the high country landscape with its fields of tussock. In the upper part of the canvas, we can see a snowstorm approaching, its flakes already dusting the higher mountain range in the background. It is soon to engulf the whole scene. Don Binney’s (1940 - 2012) painting of Lake Ōmāpere in Northland is no less compelling. Ōmāpere was the site of a famous battle during the so-called Flagstaff War, where British troops engaged Hone Heke’s Ngāpuhi forces on the shores of the lake. Binney’s interpretation is less about the war than the ecological tragedy that befell the lake in the 1960s. A very Webb's
October
large but shallow lake, Ōmāpere quickly fell victim to intensive farming. The great glow of the sun in the sky looks somewhat nuclear in its intensity. Binney seems to be commenting on this as an ardent conservationist. The perfect balance of lake and land appears threatened by the brooding sun.
28
27 Don Binney Lake Omapere 1963–64 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 550 × 725mm
28 Peter McIntyre Early Snowfall Lindis Pass oil on board signed 495 × 750mm est
est
Webb's
$25,000 — $35,000
$65,000 — $90,000
2021
29
The work of Buck Nin (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa) (1942 - 1996) and Para Matchitt (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou) (1933 - 2021) reveals similarities that stretch beyond both men being champions of art education in New Zealand. The two translated Tikanga Māori and histories into their work, while referencing aesthetics of modernist art. In the pair of paintings presented here, Māori culture does not play second fiddle to modernist art traditions. Rather, it is at the forefront, vital to these works and indeed the career output of Nin and Matchitt. Matchitt’s work Ka Ora Te Hunga Tangata bares resemblance to the facets and lines of cubism, though the most salient element in the image is the depiction of tā moko on the face of the central figure. The sharply defined lines of red, white and black - these colours a recurring feature of Matchitt’s art Webb's
October
- serve to emphasise the striking eyes of the pictured, which boldly bore out to the audience. Perhaps this is a challenge, or an acknowledgement of the presence and prominence of the figure. In Dancing Ancestors, Nin speaks to the connection between the living and those who came before. The titular ancestors twirl in the intricately patterned space between the heavens and the earth in the centre of the painting. Angular shapes and lines dissect the surrounding areas. The top third features backlit mountains and a dreamy yet dramatic sky, while the sections at the bottom weave graphic shapes and vivid hues that emerge from the dark. The resulting image is luminescent, one that you would want to envelop you like a cloak.
30
29 Buck Nin Dancing Ancestors 1993 acrylic on board signed, dated, and title inscribed 1200 × 590mm (each panel)
30 Para Matchitt Ka Ora Te Hunga Tangata c1974 acrylic on paper 480 × 665mm est
est
Webb's
$5,000 — $7,000
$20,000 — $30,000
2021
31
Aramoana is the name of the place at Port Chalmers near Dunedin where Ralph Hotere (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa) (1931 2013) was based at the time these works were made. In Māori, the name means “Pathway to the Sea”, the title given to the work he made in collaboration with expatriate New Zealand artist Bill Culbert the following year in 1991 and now in Te Papa. The name was also a mantra for the protest that Hotere, Culbert and others were engaged in at the time against the proposed building of an aluminium smelter in Aramoana. And, it took on an even more sinister connotation when in late 1990, Aramoana was the location of this country’s first mass-shooting by a lone gunman in which thirteen innocent victims, including children, were brutally gunned down. These works, then, resonate on so many levels and are inextricably bound up in our own history. Hotere first Webb's
October
experimented with printmaking in the 1960s. His PINE series was a combination of woodcuts and watercolour wash. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hotere realised that he needed assistance if he was to spread his protest message more widely in print form. The lithographs were made in collaboration with the Christchurch-based master-printer Marian Maguire. Hotere drew with remarkable freedom on the limestone blocks with oil-based ink. Maguire then fixed the marks onto the stone with the lithographic process and then printed a series of trial prints. When Hotere was satisfied with the result, it was marked in pencil BAT for bon à tirer or approved for printing, or in the case of one of these AP for artist’s proof – an impression reserved for the artist. In this respect, Hotere was following in the tradition of artists like Pablo Picasso who employed master printers to print many of his graphic works. 32
31 Ralph Hotere Aramoana 1990 lithograph on paper, edition of 30 signed and dated 290 × 410mm
32 Ralph Hotere Aramoana 1990 lithograph on paper, artist's proof signed and dated 530 × 695mm
est
est
Webb's
$3,000 — $5,000
2021
$3,500 — $5,500
33
Max Gimblett was born in Auckland in 1935; he is currently based in New York City. His artistic output reflects his interest in spirituality, particularly the symbols and artistic techniques of Japanese Zen. The artist’s style is varied and produced at a frenetic pace, following visual themes of minimalism and spontaneity. The works of Gimblett’s presented here reflect central iconography of his work – the ensō and gestural forms reminiscent of calligraphy. The former, a profound circular form that is at once representative of all and nothingness, the latter reflective of Japanese calligraphic movements, particularly in the cursive or sōsho style. Gimblett, by and large, takes inspiration from the Zen painting of Edo period Japan (1615-1867 CE). He has particularly earmarked the importance of the concept of ‘no mind’ to his work. To Gimblett, laborious repetition has rendered painterly Webb's
October
movement instinctual, therefore mindless. The inked ensō shape is produced suddenly, the pigment tracing the artist’s gesture both within and going beyond the spherical confines of the support. The Not Self alludes in its title to further principles of Zen, in particular the egoless nature of production. The creator is decentralised, allowing the created thing to take precedence. The bold, spontaneous works of Zen are intended to be items of contemplation, inducing a meditative state when considered, as well as during the process of its creation.
34
33 Max Gimblett In the Pot, Sun and Moon 2005 acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 500 × 500mm (widest points) est $10,000 — $15,000
34 Max Gimblett The Not Self 2008-9 acrylic on canvas signed, dated and title inscribed 610 × 1210mm (overall) est
Webb's
2021
$30,000 — $40,000
35
Michael Parekōwhai (Ngāriki Rotoawe/Ngāti Whakarongo) was born in Porirua in 1968. He is noted as being one of New Zealand’s most important contemporary practitioners. Parekōwhai gained both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Elam at the University of Auckland, where he now holds a position as an associate professor. Parekōwhai’s works are playfully indirect. At first glance, one sees the familiar sights of a rabbit, sparrow, pick-up-sticks, Lego or floral display – each easily identifiable and recognisable subjects that guise a deeper intent. From grand pianos He Korero Purakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu: story of a New Zealand river (2011) to state houses The Lighthouse (2017) his works are often magnificent gestures that please and delight viewers. Rainbow Servant Dreaming (2005), is made in a medium that is common across many of the artists’ works – a casting Webb's
October
process in polyurethane that when coated in automotive paint gives a pristine and manufactured finish to the work. Mare Tranquillitatis: Sea of Tranquility (2007), is an editioned print that borrows its title from a basin on the moon’s surface. The Mare Tranquillitas was likely created from asteroid or meteorite impact early in the moon’s history. Now layered in basalt, the crater appears incredibly dark from the perspective of our earthbound view.
36
35 Michael Parekōwhai Rainbow Servant Dreaming 2005 automotive paint on polyurethane 650 × 225 × 155mm (widest points)
36 Michael Parekōwhai Mare Tranquillitatis: Sea of Tranquility 2007 c-type print, edition of 100 215 × 165mm
est
est
Webb's
$20,000 — $30,000
2021
$2,500 — $4,500
37
Tony de Lautour was born in 1965 in Melbourne and moved to New Zealand as a child. He studied at Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury. During his time at art school, de Lautour worked alongside other artists who have also gone on to have enduring success, such as Bill Hammond, Saskia Leek, Séraphine Pick and Peter Robinson. 111 is part of a series the artist created in the early 2000s. Common elements within this series are deep black lacquered backgrounds and centralised forms such as a capital X, an aeroplane, an apple, a head, or in this case a cry for help; 111. The exterior outlines of these selected forms are filled with white ghostly mountain-scapes. Often, as is the case in 111, the works have a reference to longitude and latitude, with tiny cursive numbers marking the edge of the defined property. Paired with Peter Robinson’s untitled work painted in 1998, the Webb's
October
work has an inverse approach, small black ink symbols painted upon a white ground. Peter Robinson was born in 1966 and is of Ngāi Tahu/Kai Tahu whakapapa. His works are generally known for their playful and provocative politicism, often questioning identity culture. Here, the work is a complex collection of symbols. It has a digital font ‘AM & PM’ referencing an alarm clock, a pocket calculator, and a TV equipped with bunny ears; all appear to reference outmoded technology. Spirals, flags and pyramids further add to a complex visual language that enables a myriad of readings.
38
37 Tony de Lautour 111 2002 oil on canvas signed and dated 1060 × 1515mm
38 Peter Robinson untitled 1998 ink on canvas signed and dated 500 × 400mm
est
est
Webb's
$7,000 — $14,000
2021
$10,000 — $15,000
39
Born in Te Puke in 1946, Robin White (Ngāti Awa) grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau and studied at Elam School of Fine Arts before moving to Paremata in 1969 to become a teacher. It was there that White refined the flat clear imagery that made her a key figure within New Zealand’s regionalist art movement. Identifiable for this flatness and the crisp edges surrounding her subject matter, White’s works often depict an isolated figure or structure against a bare landscape. Kamala and the Pyramid, a screenprint from 1981, depicts the daughter of artist Laurence Aberhart in a palette of murky greens and browns. The shape of Kamala’s raincoat is echoed in the ‘Pyramid’ on her left, while the pale egg in her hands further highlights the occasion of the portrait. White is a member of the Baha’i faith and has always had a love for Pacific culture. In 1979 she moved to Kiribati in the South Pacific and, constrained by lack of art supplies, began Webb's
October
to collaborate with other women using traditional textiles. White continues to employ these materials, creating new works that combine printmaking and painting with weaving, piupiu and large tapa cloths. Whakarongo implores us to listen, featuring scrawled spraypaint on cloth bordered with White’s recogniseable flattened mountains, birds and ferns. While White’s mediums and methods have changed over her career, her unique representations of rural culture and counterculture lifestyles have cemented her as one of Aotearoa’s most revered artists.
40
39 Robin White Kamala and the Pyramid 1981 screenprint on paper, 5/30 signed, dated and title inscribed 260 × 310mm
40 Robin White Whakarongo 2008 spraypaint and screenprint on wool bale 720 × 1170mm est
est
Webb's
$20,000 — $30,000
$4,000 — $6,000
2021
41
At a time when many New Zealand painters were turning to simplified abstraction and regionalism, Tony Fomison (1939– 1990) was creating melancholic figurative paintings. He studied at Canterbury School of Fine Arts and fostered an early interest in archeology, particularly early Māori and Pacific art forms, that continued to influence him throughout his career. Fomison eschewed the trend of flatness in favour of dark chiaroscuro, a dramatic European style that complemented his penchant for incorporating narrative and myths into his work. Seen here, Vulcan the Ugly, Making Something Beautiful depicts the son of Greek gods Jupiter and Juno. Vulcan was born so ugly that his mother tried and failed to kill him as a child, not knowing he would grow up to become a talented blacksmith. Painted with Fomison’s recogniseable muted tones and layered glazes, Fomison’s poetic title gives the otherwise dark imagery Webb's
October
a hopeful tinge. Created six years later, Janis Joplin's Last Song has a slightly different, almost energetic feel. Reminiscent of Edvard Munch, the simple painting depicts a lone white figure against dark blackish-brown. The looser brushstrokes and light marks give the work a sense of urgency. The title seems to refer to Joplin’s free spirit, but also perhaps her untimely death - the ultimate last song. Eerily, the work was painted only two years before Fomison’s own early death at age 50. Somewhat unsettling but always mesmerising, Fomison’s masterful works continue to intrigue us decades after they were painted.
42
41 Tony Fomison Janis Joplin's Last Song 1988 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 447 × 380mm
42 Tony Fomison Vulcan the Ugly, Making Something Beautiful 1982 oil on hessian on board signed, dated and title inscribed 360 × 260mm
est
est
Webb's
$25,000 — $35,000
2021
$35,000 — $45,000
43
Although twenty-five years separate these two works, there is a clear continuity in their formal execution and purpose. In both, the dominant figural elements are contained within Nigel Brown’s (born 1949) distinctive “word frames”. In both, the message is clearly stated in Brown’s uncompromisingly crude capitals. That is where the similarities end. Come Now Van Gogh, Things Are Not That Bad is from a series of paintings Brown did in 1978, which took the troubled genius/artist as its subject. In this work, Van Gogh has been given a “good Kiwi bloke” look with the black singlet, although his crossed hands and bloodied wrist reference the tortured figure of Christ of the Ecce homo (Behold the man) pictorial tradition. Yet this sacrificial image of the artist is undercut by the typically Kiwi optimism of the title. In Bonding to the Particular, Brown’s message is an Webb's
October
ecological one. Only by uniting together in a common cause, can we hope to preserve the delicate ecosystems of our natural environment. In the foreground two figures face each other. The figure on the right offers a cup to the figure facing him. In the mid-ground is a stylised factory oozing bright yellow contaminants, while in the background, a kereru flies over a choppy ocean coastline.
44
43 Nigel Brown Bonding to the Particular 2003 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 782 × 585mm est
44 Nigel Brown Come Now Van Gogh, Things Are Not That Bad 1978 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 900 × 700mm
$8,000 — $14,000 est
Webb's
2021
$8,000 — $12,000
45
Much of Bill Hammond's (1947 - 2021) work is constructed with a draughtsman’s diligence in the use of grids and perspective, yet he retains a looseness in areas of the paintwork. While the artist is particularly well known for his distinctive, exquisitely rendered bird-themed artworks from the 1990s onwards, his paintings from the 1980s are equally compelling. They have a pop-culture, cartoonish graphic sensibility, with the same hallmarks of technical finesse that have made Hammond a household name. In this pairing, Life & Death & Problem Hair, a painting from 1983, sits alongside Urn, Cornwall Road, an ink on paper work from 2011. This gives us a glimpse of both the artist’s distinct early aesthetic, and the iconic imagery he generated later in his career. In Life & Death & Problem Hair, one can see a figure in the lower right. It appears as if they are inspecting their legs, perhaps looking for the problem hair mentioned in the title. To Webb's
October
the left of the picture plane, a strange head appears, not unlike an agonised biomorphic creature from a Francis Bacon painting. Hammond’s intertwining of the horrific and the comical is a feature of his paintings from this period, which curator Robert Leonard once described as: “Wired, paranoid, hyped-up… junky, punky, and dystopian—juiced up with sadistic speed-freak cartoon violence.” In the case of Urn, Cornwall Road, the iconographic sensibilities, dreamlike quality, and virtuoso technique so evident in his later works are present. Though they are expressed in the elemental black and white of ink on paper. The works together offer up an intriguing look into the distinctive visual and subconscious space Hammond’s work explored with such vision and skill.
46
45 Bill Hammond Urn, Cornwall Road 2011 ink on paper signed, dated and title inscribed 300 × 200mm
46 Bill Hammond Life & Death & Problem Hair 1983 oil on board signed, dated and title inscribed 235 × 520mm
est
est
Webb's
$12,000 — $18,000
2021
$8,000 — $14,000
47
The practice of Rohan Wealleans (born 1977) is one that exists in dualities: painting and sculpture, actioned violence and acid-trip aesthetics, raw cut canvas mounted on smoothly neutral frames, otherworldly creations of commonplace materials. Wealleans, who gained a Masters from Elam School of Fine Arts, is multilaureated for his weird and wonderful creations, including receiving the 2003 Waikato Art Award and the 2006 Wallace Art Award. The pair presented here read as a sort of topographical map of mystic locations. They are perplexing in their bejewelled tones and shudder-inducing clusters of holes. Yet the works retain a playful sensibility, perhaps hinting at sandcastles. The slasher-meets-sandpit aesthetic provides a touch of sour to cut the sweet.
Webb's
October
47 Rohan Weallens Untitled VI 2009 acrylic on canvas 850 × 570mm
48 Rohan Weallens Untitled III 2009 acrylic on canvas 851 × 570mm
est
est
$3,500 — $5,000
$3,500 — $5,000
48
33a Normanby Rd Mount Eden Auckland 1024 New Zealand webbs.co.nz
Auctions Private Sales Valuations
Auction & Viewing
auction@webbs.co.nz +64 9 529 5600 33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand
For preview and viewing details please visit our website webbs.co.nz Art to Date Auction Sunday 10 October
2pm
Select Auction Sunday 10 October
Terms & Conditions For the full terms and conditions of this sale, please head to webbs.co.nz
5pm