Saleroom: Lucky dip for bidding buyers in variable market

Reading the local art market is a bit like reading the entrails of chickens, although hopefully rather less messy.

So many factors are involved - the quality of works coming forward, rises and falls in artist fashions, the state of the general economy, business optimism.

So New Zealand auction sales, according to the authoritative Australian Art Sales Digest, fell from the heady peak of $19,349,000 in 2003 to $17,363,000 in 2004, and to $13,244,000 last year.

This year, who knows? But there is reason for optimism from two of the first big sales for the year.

In Wellington, Dunbar Sloane's offering of 200 works from the collection of former Appeal Court President Sir Ivor Richardson was a clear winner, raking in just around $1.4 million. No $100,000 works here, with the top price of $55,000 ($62,733 with 12.5 per cent buyer's premium and GST) for McCahon's Little Truth from the King Country: Load Bearing Structure from 1978.

A Woollaston landscape also hit the $50,000 mark, while works by Frances Hodgkins, Raymond McIntyre and John Weeks topped $30,000. Many other attractive works were picked up for what looked like bargain prices, in a packed saleroom.

Peter Webb Galleries' 30th birthday sale, also packed and lively, with many telephone bidders, was a different matter. Prominent among heavyweights on offer were four McCahons from the collection of the late Professor Robert Chapman and his wife Noeline.

None of the four made its top estimate, but they did predictably well to sell for $75,000, $80,000, $240,000 and $310,000 (before 12.5 per cent premium, and GST). Top price was for Koru 3, from 1962.

More surprising was the spirited bidding for another McCahon, The Calling of a Christian.

This lovely 1969 work on wallpaper stock was originally from the collection of the late Kim Wright, one of the founding directors of the Barry Lett Gallery. Webb's thought it would sell between $50,000 to $70,000. It went for $157,500.

An interesting feature of the sale, for those with rather lower aspirations (and shallower pockets) was the offering of 22 works from the Gubbardheim collection.

This Hamilton-based collective, of mostly newcomers to buying art, buys all its works through auction. Prices for this mixed collection were up and down, with the two major works - an early oil on aluminium by Bill Hammond and a Ralph Hotere Song Cycle water-colour and acrylic - both failing to sell on the night.

Works by Hammond did a bit of a freeze, with only two of seven on offer selling at the auction. The three paintings by Tony Fomison also did not sell in the room. One work from each artist sold subsequently by agreement.

With many sales achieved in the following days, the collection topped $2.4 million.

Artists to do well, with personal auction records, were Gretchen Albrecht ($41,000, previous $22,000); Mary McIntyre ($19,000, $1760) and Richard Lewer ($6800).

* Coming up:

May 1, Cordy's, fine and applied art; May 16, Webb's, affordable art; Cordy's, monthly antiques and art; May 23: International Art Centre, collectable art; May 3, Dunbar Sloane, Auckland, art.