Saleroom: Art sale online an interesting first

By DON MILNE

Art sales up north have certainly heated up since the entry four years ago of the long-established Wellington auctioneers Dunbar Sloane (now run in Auckland by the fourth of that name in the firm).

So far, there has been no shortage of good works coming forward, and record prices attained, with million-dollar-plus auction-night turnovers almost commonplace.

Now another player is dipping a toe in the waters by offering art for auction, not in a saleroom but online.

Fishers Fine Arts have sold art through their Parnell gallery for many years, but on April 1 they start their first online auction, with works by various artists, including Goldie, Hammond, McCahon and Illingworth. The auction period will be two weeks, and an attraction for vendors is that the selling commission will be just 5 per cent. Most other houses charge at least 10 per cent.

It's an interesting experiment, and one that is sure to be watched closely by the other players, yet there is something about the atmosphere of the saleroom and being able to hold a well-produced catalogue in the hand.

Webb's sets increasingly higher standards for its catalogues - that for the affordable art sale last month, for instance, included colour illustrations of all the works, and the catalogue for next week's sale is intelligent and informative.

A feature of that sale will be more than 50 photographs, historic and contemporary, and the catalogue includes a fine essay on the topic by John B. Turner, an Elam lecturer in photography and editor of PhotoForum magazine.

Last months Webb's sale saw two cibachrome prints by Ronnie van Hout sell for $2200 and $2300, a silver gelatin print by Fiona Pardington go for $2000, and a cibachrome print by Christine Webster go for $1700 (all before buyers' premium and GST). Clearly a field to watch.

Estimates for individual prints at next week's sale range from $60 for a Burton brothers print of early Auckland, to $5000 for an interior by Marti Friedlander showing artist Tony Fomison reflected in a mirror.

The International Art Centre has no photographs tomorrow night, but it does have a highly interesting selection of works by artists ranging from Charles Blomfield and John Gibb to McCahon, Hotere and Hammond, and a big selection of Frizzell.

A number are from the collection of well-known Aucklanders Imric Porsolt and the late Esther Porsolt (formerly Faigan).

Imric Porsolt was familiar to a generation and more of architecture students at Auckland University, and was also for many years art critic for the Auckland Star.

Among the paintings from the collection is one of McCahon's waterfall series from 1964, said to be a personal favourite of the artist. It is estimated to sell at between $60,000 and $100,000.

Works by Peter McIntyre and Raymond Ching are sure to attract attention, while two pencil drawings by Robin White better known in their screenprint versions are estimated as $7000 to $10,000 each.

Coming up: The International Art Centre's main sale is tomorrow night, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell. The centre has a collectable art auction on Sunday, April 4, with just under 200 lots at estimates of up to $1000.

Webb's big art sale is next Tuesday, followed by jewellery on Wednesday and decorative arts on Thursday. The next affordable art sale is on May 11.

Cordy's next Pacific artefacts, antiques and art sale is on April 6, followed by antiques and art on May 4.

Dunbar Sloane's next Auckland art sale is on April 28 and 29, with a Wellington art auction on May 12 and 13.