Art auction houses happy with market

Not the best of years, but by no means the worst of years _ and certainly exceeding the gloomy sentiments current in the last quarter of 2008. World recession or not, Auckland art auction houses profess to be reasonably happy with the market over the past year.

Record auction prices were set for iconic New Zealand artists Don Binney ($251,000) and Shane Cotton ($202,500), and the late Pat Hanly ($182,495) and Lois White ($76,420); premiums and GST included. Prices for Maori and Pacific artefacts remained high _ although New Zealand colonial furniture saw a bit of a slump.

Colin McCahon and Charles Goldie maintained their dominance of the New Zealand market, with most _ but, significantly, not all _ of their works on offer selling at good prices.

In fact, two Goldies offered by the International Art Centre lead the top 10 sale list for the year, going for $287,400 and $279,000. "Good works by good artists will always sell," says Richard Thomson, director of the International Art Centre and one of the most knowledgeable people in the trade, with an encyclopaedic memory for art works and prices. "Lesser works will struggle, especially in a tight economic climate."

Neil Campbell, managing director of Webb's, agrees. Competition in Auckland for the auction art dollar is intense, with Art+Object, Cordy's and Dunbar Sloane also fighting for good works and collections.

Sloane's, in fact, are shifting most of their art to Wellington, where the competitive heat is lower and prices, on the whole, tend to be higher. In Auckland, under Dunbar Sloane junior, they will concentrate on antiques, Maori and Pacific artefacts, New Zealand colonial and militaria.

Cordy's also have a good handle on the antique trade, under well-regarded owner Andrew Grigg. An influx of Asian buyers has seen prices for Oriental objects strong this year.

Another element in the market has been the sale of personal collections, such as Art+Object's successful offering of a fraction of the voluminous New Zealand and Pacific collection of artist, critic and former Rotorua Museum director John Perry, and Sloane's sale of NZ furniture from the Peter Herbert collection last month.

Neil Campbell's innovative motorbike sales proved very successful, with traditional art customers showing interest in them not just as transport or history but as examples of modern sculpture. Expect to see more of what Webb's offers on line next year, and even online auctions and bidding.

Low point of the year had to be the last-minute injunction served on Art+Object stopping the sale of 60 early works by Ralph Hotere from a private Wellington collection. Questions of ownership (Art+Object says they were given to the vendor, a friend and colleague of Hotere, in 1968) and copyright (over images in the excellent catalogue) have been raised.

Legal wrangling continues, but if no settlement can be reached, a court hearing is set down for February 2. Taking just the lower estimates into account, the collection could be worth nearly $450,000. Balancing that, Art+Object claimed five of the top 10 prices over the year.

The catalogue for Webb's Christmas sale next Thursday will be on line from Monday (www.webbs.co.nz). Like Art+Object's Objects of Desire sale last week, it offers an eccentric, eclectic and esoteric mix, with the added attraction that Webb's will pack and ship gift purchases. Just the thing for last-minute buyers.

COMING UP

Tomorrow: Art+Object, a private collection (61 Randolph St, Newton)
Thursday, December 17: Webb's The Improbable for the Impossible