The Best or Nothing: Mercedes-Benz

A Masterpiece: The Sang House

One of the things to remember about the design of a house, is that it is designed for its occupants and their requirements. There’s another layer, which is aesthetic.

A great building combines those things. — Darryl Sang, Director of Sang Architects

Detail of a custom-made Guy Ngan door handle on the The Sang House. The Sang House interior. Ian Scott, Lattice No. 133, 1986, price realised $38,512.

Earlier this year, Webb’s partnered with Wall Real Estate to sell The Sang House. This architectural icon is both an exquisite home and an important piece of New Zealand cultural history. It was designed by renowned architect and art collector Ron Sang as his family residence in 1973. Nestled amongst trees, every room within this house allows dappled afternoon sun and unique views. It is an exceptional environment for living. From the custom-made Guy Ngan door handle to the home’s seamless integration with the landscaped garden, Sang’s attention to detail and his discerning taste for modern art is evident throughout this extraordinary home. This combination of the domestic and the artistic was summed up by Darryl Sang, “One of the things to remember about the design of a house, is that it is designed for its occupants and their requirements. There’s another layer, which is aesthetic. A great building combines those things.” This was Webb’s first auction of a piece of architecture, and our collaboration with Wall Real Estate was an overwhelming success. The Sang House found a buyer at $4,000,000, an eye-watering mark-up from its capital value of $2,025,000. The sale generated a combined total of $4,433,664, with a sell through rate of 91% that saw each lot achieving prices well above the expected estimates. The presentation of Ron Sang’s house, itself a modernist masterpiece, offered an occasion to acknowledge his legacy beyond the world of architecture. He was an art collector and publisher of some of the most sumptuous publications on significant New Zealand artists. In his house in Remuera, Sang surrounded himself with paintings, sculptures, studio ceramics and art glass by some of the leading practitioners in these fields. Darryl Sang said of his father,

[He] was an architect as well as an art collector, and those two aspects of his life really went hand in hand. His architectural style developed along with his art collecting. His houses are designed to display art.

The list of paintings collected by Sang is a roll call of New Zealand art from the 1970s onwards. There were early stained colour-field canvasses by Gretchen Albrecht from the 1970s, as well as one of her iconic hemispheres from 1984 and a later spectacular oval, Nomadic Geometries (At This Hour-Red) from 1994. Sang’s collection also included paintings by Don Binney, Pat Hanly, Michael Smither, Robert Ellis, Allen Maddox and Philippa Blair. His other passions in the field of collecting were the sculptures of Guy Ngan and Don Driver, the studio ceramics of Len Castle, Roy Cowan, Graeme Storm and the art glass of Ann Robinson. Ron Sang’s passion for the art and culture of this country is something to be celebrated. Webb’s marketed a curated selection of artwork alongside the house. This included works by some of Sang’s favourites: Ralph Hotere, Gretchen Albrecht, Guy Ngan, and others. This innovative approach had a symbiotic effect of enhancing both the art and the house through mutual association. It proved a winning combination, with sales well over reserve. Sang was intently involved in the art and culture scene. He forged relationships with artists and makers, supporting their practices and collecting their work. As his son observed, these associations proved mutually beneficial. Our founder, Peter Webb, also made sustained efforts to cultivate the careers of many of New Zealand’s most prominent modern artists. He worked with Colin McCahon, Don Binney and Pat Hanly, to name but a few. These were the very same artists whose work Ron Sang loved and collected. The spirit of mutual support and cultural collaboration was exemplified by Webb’s sale of the Sang House. Are you looking to bring your unique architectural home to market? With our innate cultural capital and our distinct, high-production marketing, Webb’s is unmatched. We achieve market-beating results for high-end homes. Contact us for an appraisal.

Paul Evans Managing Director paul@webbs.co.nz +64 21 866 000 Charles Ninow Head of Art charles@webbs.co.nz +64 21 053 6504