August in Australia is fine art auction season.
All the major art auctioneers have now scheduled their sales after a longish break since April, and we are in for some true museum quality offerings.
So expect a few of Dave’s Faves in the next couple of weeks with David’s cheerful tongue-in-cheek comments on some of the artworks that have caught his eye. Nothing however beats seeing the artworks in person when they go on exhibition preview in Sydney and Melbourne.
There will be considerable excitement at the Smith and Singer fine art sale on 19th August in Sydney, with paintings hidden away for decades in private collections now exposed to the glowing light of re-sale in Geoffrey Smith’s opulent catalogue.
These include W.B. McInnes St. Ives, 1913, Arthur Streeton’s Giudecca Lagoon, 1908, Bessie Davidson’s Red Tulips, 1925, Grace Cossington Smith’s Chair and Drapery, 1958, Rah Fizelle’s Sleeping Nude, 1938-1939, Elioth Gruner’s On the Beach, 1920 – and the list of long held important Australian art goes on.
When rare artworks appear after decades in a private collection, you have to seize the opportunity to view them yourself, as they sell into other major private collections not to be seen again for perhaps decades to come.
In their 19 August art auction, Smith and Singer also offer ten extraordinary works from the estate of Janet and Sam Cullen who notably served as Vice-Chairman of Smith & Singer (when trading as Sotheby’s Australia) from 2010 to 2016.
Viewing therefore is always strongly recommended, as are our own tailored pre-purchase art evaluation and bidding services.
The preview in Melbourne is from 5 to 10 August 2025, at 33 Lansell Road, Toorak.
Previewing in Sydney is held from 14 to 19 August 2025, at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.
The auction is held on 19 August 2025, 6.30 pm, at 111 Queen Street, Woollahra.
From the 93 lots, here are the 17 Dave’s Faves:
Lot 1 – W.B. McInnes, St. Ives, 1913, oil, 46.5 x 35.8 cm, est. $8,000-$12,000. Art Colony Cracker
Lot 4 – Bessie Davidson, Red Tulips, ca.1925, oil, 73.5 x 61 cm, est. $150,000 – $250,000. No Tiptoeing Necessary
Lot 6 – Grace Cossington Smith, Chair and Drapery, 1958, oil, 91.7 x 63.8 cm, est. $500,000-$700,000.
“Magnificent and Ravishing” indeed
Lot 8 – Rah Fizelle, Sleeping Nude, c.1938-1939. Oil on canvas, 55 x 89.5 cm, estimate $120,000-$160,000. Fizelle Sizzles
Lot 14 – Elioth Gruner, On the Beach, 1920. Oil, 23 x 27.5 cm, estimate $80,000-$120,000. Inventing the Australian Beach Painting
Lot 24 – Fred Williams, You Yangs Landscape, 1978. Oil, 97 x 107 cm, estimate $400,000-$600,000. Yes You Yang!
Lot 37 – Ray Crooke, Islanders, 1960. Oil, 61 x 91.5 cm, estimate $80,000 – $100,000. Good Luck with this Early Crooke
Lot 38 – Albert Namatjira, Waters of the Finke, 1958. Watercolour, 38 x 57 cm, est. $180,000 – $220,000. Still Waters Run Deep
Lot 42 – W.C. Piguenit, Pitt Water, Tasmania, 1910. Oil, 77.2 x 128.1 cm, est. $150,000 – $220,000. Both Rare and Rarefied
Lot 46 – John Russell, Roches, Belle-Ile Rocks, Belle-Ile, ca.1895. Oil on canvas, 50.7 x 61.5 cm, est. $1,000,000-$1,500,000. Much Like Monet, Much Less Money
Lot 49 – Clarice Beckett, Along the Coast. Oil, 26 x 39 cm, est. $50,000 – $70,000. Our Clarice Continues to Set the Tone
Lot 57 – Margaret Olley, Lemons I, 1991. Oil, 76 x 102 cm, estimate $50,000 – $70,000. Sweet, Never Sour
Lot 60 – Howard Arkley, Contemporary Units, 1988. Synthetic polymer, 160 x 240.5 cm, estimate $700,000-$900,000. Median House Prices still on the Rise
Lot 79 – Captain Justin Edward Daniel MacCarthy, Flagstaff Hill and Spencer Street, Melbourne in 1856 from MacNamara’s Building (1856). Watercolour, 14.5 x 23 cm, estimate $10,000-$15,000. Colonial Gold
Lot 84 – Ethel Carrick, Autumn Flowers, c.1925. Oil, 61.5 x 51.5 cm, estimate $25,000-$35,000. Uninhibited and Exhibited
Lot 86 – Norman Lindsay, A Casanova Lady, 1929. Watercolour, 41 x 36 cm, estimate $18,000-$25,000. Pretty Polly
Lot 87 – Hans Heysen, Autumn Morning Mist, 1919. watercolour on paper, 38.8 x 49.5 cm, est. $18,000 – $25,000. Not to be Mist
You can view the entire Smith & Singer catalogue online at Smith and Singer.
Find out more about our art advisory services here – whether it is one of Dave’s Faves or another artwork that has caught your eye.
You can also email us on info@bhfineart.com or phone us on 0466 313 095.
Stay tuned for the next Dave’s Faves coming soon.
