Overseas bidders pep up art sale prices

It's not just local buyers who show interest in New Zealand art sales. A couple of items this month illustrated that overseas people are prepared to compete for works they consider interesting.

Webb's A2 sale had a watercolour signed Y. M., dating probably from the turn of the century and showing children feeding geese in a park.

This charming, probably French work was expected to sell for $700 to $1000 but three overseas telephone bidders competed strongly to see it go for $5000.

Then Cordy's offered an interesting portrait by Louis Ritman (1889-1963), an American-Russian who painted mainly in Paris. Cordy's estimated it at $1500 but spirited bidding saw it sold in the room for $6400, possibly on an overseas buyer's order.

Winding up the year will be several strong collections. Next month, Webb's has works by Colin McCahon, Tony Fomison and flavour-of-the-year Michael Smither, including an example of the early works of his family that attracted so much attention at the splendid Auckland Art Gallery exhibition. Sarah With Flowers is estimated to sell at from $80,000 to $120,000. Dunbar Sloane also has a Smither from the same period, Thomas Playing With Flies, estimated at $50,000 to $70,000.

The collection includes some unusual works by Philip Clairmont and a rare offering of an early Brent Wong.

But the prize is one of Don Binney's best bird paintings, New kereru at Te Henga from 1966. Its estimate is $120,000 to $170,000. The International Art Centre's sale next Tuesday has only one Smither, a minor work. (Although there is a charcoal portrait of him by Alan Pearson.)

Other works of interest include a Von Tempsky portrait of General Cameron, "that impatient, ill-tempered, injudicious old man" as Governor George Grey called him. It could well attract overseas interest.

There's been a change of guard at a long-established auction house. John Maconie, Auckland's most entertaining art auctioneer, has sold Cordy's to Andrew Grigg, of Wellington.

Maconie joined Cordy's in 1975, and later became sole owner.

John Cordy Ltd was started in the early 1960s by a group of Auckland artists, investors and enthusiasts to fill a role in a growing art market.

There was no such person as John Cordy - the Cordy comes from art expert Hamish Keith's middle name.

Grigg, who has been an auctioneer for 15 years, has a strong interest in antiques and New Zealand historical works.

Maconie will continue his involvement with the business.

Coming up: Webb's photography sale is tomorrow night. Its last big sale for the year is from December 6 to 8, with all lots on view online from Friday.

The International Art Centre's next investment art sale is on November 29. More than 200 lots will be offered, including several by Edward Bullmore and an interesting Goldie portrait. The sale will be held at 272 Parnell Rd.

Cordy's next antiques and art sale is December 6.

Dunbar Sloane's venue for its December sales is the Pavilion, behind the old post office at Britomart. The sale will feature art on December 13, and militaria and Maori artefacts the following day.