Reflecting on the last twelve months, many of our most defining auction moments have centred on the Australian moderns. These artists have led the charge in both sale results and industry discussion which looks to continue throughout 2019. In our Fine Art auction, in June 2018, we were fortunate enough to present three important Australian works of art from The De Stoop Collection by artists Charles Blackman and Joy Hester. Hester’s Girl with Cocky went on to achieve a record price for the artist at $316,727 when it sold to a delighted private collector. Competition for these three paintings was high, and upon the final fall of the hammer the room erupted in applause. Hester’s record price also speaks volumes to the market focus on women artists who have for so long been overshadowed by their male counterparts. The beginning of 2019 saw Mirka Mora take her rightful place amongst her modernist colleagues with the historic auction of The Magical Studio of Mirka Mora going under the hammer. Collectors, institutions, and enthusiastic members of the public all crowded together to witness auction records being made as Mirka’s large Untitled mural, which once hung at Tolarno’s, sold to Heide Museum of Modern Art. Shrieks of delight were heard by winning bidders throughout the auction as they secured a treasured piece of Mirka’s unique legacy. It is these key moments in art history that not only cement an artist’s place in history, and their market value, but also pave the way for the next generation!
OLIVIA FULLER / Head of Art