Drawings and sketches by Kiwi artist Don Binney discovered after his death to be auctioned

This untitled acrylic-on-paper drawing is among 57 works by artist Don Binney being sold at auction on Tuesday. Photo / Supplied

A collection of Don Binney sketches and drawings, found in the artist's studio after his death in 2012, are to be sold at auction next Tuesday at Webb's auction house as both originals and NFTs.

Each of the 57 drawings from the Don Binney Estate will be accompanied by an NFT (non fungible token) and a certificate of authenticity signed by Binney's wife Philippa and daughter Mary. Many of the sketches were forerunners to well-known paintings and prints by the artist.

The NFTs have been minted through one of the most popular NFT blockchains, Ethereum, known to be energy intensive. To offset the carbon footprint Webb's has bought 57 units from United States company Nori, which uses soil-sequestration methods to create offset units equivalent to one tonne of sequestered carbon dioxide.

Zealand poet and author Gregory O'Brien said in a written contribution to the catalogue that the drawings offered a unique insight into the artist's working process.

"While still in his twenties, Binney made a point of exhibiting drawings alongside paintings, deeming them of comparable artistic value," he said.

"During the 1970s, when he felt staleness besetting his painting, he seized upon drawing as a way forward. For much of his career painting and drawing were mutually
sustaining. Through both he gained a greater feeling for and understanding of his subjects, be they bird or land."

Finished works by Binney have previously sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 2018 a trio of Binney paintings sold for just under $1.5 million.

The works are on view at Webb's gallery in Mt Eden and online. The auction is at 6.30pm on Tuesday April 12.