New Hammond artwork up for auction

Bill Hammond's hubcap painting of a Manx figure.

True to form, a new artwork by celebrated painter Bill Hammond will give the New Zealand art scene something to talk about when it comes up for auction next month.

Known for his maverick vision, Hammond has employed a typically unorthodox medium for his latest work, scouring the local wreckers' yards near his Banks Peninsula home, for the perfect hubcap.

The result, a gold-painted three-legged Manx figure adorning a chrome hubcap, is to be auctioned as a fundraiser in the South Island's biggest sculpture event of the year, Sculpture in the Garden, on November 4.

Having agreed, along with 11 other peninsula-based artists, to paint a hubcap for auction on the opening night, Hammond found the unusual medium frustrating.

"All I wanted was an old hubcap from an old car," said Hammond. What he got was a modern version, complete with several holes and glossy bolts, making his job as the artist all the more difficult.

But he found a more plain and sympathetic surface to work on a wrecker's yard.

Auctioneer for the night, Joe Bennett, understood to be in the market for some new hubcaps for his battered old Subaru, said he didn't anticipate any bidders would use a hubcap painted by such a celebrated New Zealand artist.

"You wouldn't want hooligans kicking it or stones bashing it, I think this particular hubcap is destined for someone's wall. Anything by Bill is always worth lots of money," he commented.

As Hammond's works regularly sell for close to $20,000, industry opinions estimate that this unusual painting could fetch upward of $10,000.

Christchurch art dealer, Grant Banbury said it was not the first time Hammond had incorporated unlikely materials in his work.

"Those familiar with Hammond's history will know that he originally made toys from wood and is quite well known for painting on found materials. The selection of hubcaps reflects the ground roots of the event itself, appealing to a broader audience rather than being too highbrow.

"It shows a generosity on Bill's part to partake in this auction, particularly as he's gifted the entire proceeds from this work."

* Proceeds from the auction will go to the Cholmondeley Children's Home.