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Dave’s Faves for the Deutscher + Hackett auction Nov 2018

13 ink drawings and watercolours no larger than A4 start off the Deutscher + Hackett sale on 28 November in Melbourne.

Their modest size and medium belies their importance: among them are the last pre-settlement portraits of Tasmanian Aboriginal people and extremely early depictions of  Western Australia, created between 1801 and 1804 on the Baudin voyage to Australia by French artists and naturalists Nicolas-Martin Petit and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

These pieces of what is termed voyage art were completely unknown until very recently. It is difficult to overstate their rarity and significance, and consequently they are given the royal treatment with an extensive separate catalogue produced by D+H in association with rare books specialist Hordern House.

If you were thinking of purchasing, you would have to be prepared to compete with several public institutions and dig very deep, as estimates range from $35,000 to $900,000 – we look forward to being in the room on the night…

The 126 lots in the main catalogue offer a wonderful array of impressionist, modern and contemporary Australian art, among them the cover lot, an outstanding and large John Brack Nude from 1980.

You can view the artworks personally:

in Sydney, from 15 to 20 November, at 16 Goodhope Street, Paddington

in Melbourne, from 22 to 27 November, at 105 Commercial Road, South Yarra

and online at the Deutscher + Hackett website.

The auction is held on Wednesday, 28 November, 7 pm, at the D+H premises at 105 Commercial Road, South Yarra.

We will be attending the last major auction of 2018, and would be delighted to assist you with due diligence prior to the auction for astute buying, bidding on the night and management of after-sales. Phone us on 02 9977 7764 or email info@bhfineart.com

And here are Dave’s Faves:

Lot 7 – Nicolas-Martin Petit, Femme Sauvage de l’ile van Diemen, early 1802, 20.5 x 20 cm, est. $700,000-900,000. Join the Expedition
Lot 14 – Cressida Campbell, Gum Blossom, 2000, 111 x 87 cm, estimate $75,000-95,000. Wake up and smell the Eucalypts
Lot 15 – Del Kathryn Barton, Girl #7, 2004, 120 x 86 cm, estimate  $55,000-75,000. Girl Power
Lot 16 – Brett Whiteley, Melancholy, 1970, 72.5 x 75.5 cm, est. $120,000-180,000. Give us a Wave
Lot 17 – Joel Elenberg, Makiko, 1980, 76 cm high, estimate  $150,000-200,000. Magical Marble Makiko
Lot 24 – Charles Blackman, Window Light, 1965, 151 x 130.5 cm, estimate  $120,000-180,000. Chairwoman of the Board
Lot 26 – Fred Williams, Untitled Landscape I, c.1966, 75.5 x 57.5 cm, est. $45,000-65,000. Landscape Luminary
Lot 28 – John Brack, Reclining Nude, 1980, 127 x 153 cm, est. $550,000-750,000. Back to Brack
Lot 31 – Emanuel Philips Fox, Fishing Boats and Jetty, Le Brusc, c.1912-13, 38 x 46 cm, est. $25,000-35,000. Gone Fishin’
Lot 32 – Elioth Gruner, September Morning, 1926, 29 x 24 cm, estimate $20,000-30,000. Light Fever
Lot 36 – Fred Williams, Karratha Station, c1979-81, 58 x 76.5 cm, estimate $40,000-60,000. Rich with Minerals, Rich with Paint
Lot 48 – Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford, Bush Turkey Dreaming, 2001, 135 x 122 cm, estimate $40,000-60,000. Enter the Dreamtime
Lot 69 – J.H. Scheltema, Picking Fruit, c1890, 61 x 92 cm, est. $15,000-20,000. Invest in Apple
Lot 99 – Charles Blackman, Children and Dog Playing – Glasshouse Mountains, 1974, 19.5 x 27 cm, est. $6,000-9,000. Dog Day Afternoon
Lot 112 – Arthur Streeton, Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 1908, 22.5 x 32 cm, est. $6,000-8,000. Extremely Rare Venice Sketch
Lot 120 – Alison Rehfisch, Cagnes-sur-Mer, c1937, 49 x 49 cm, estimate $2,000-3,000. Give this one a Butcher’s Hook
Lot 122 – Eveline Syme, Barwon Heads, c1930s, 16.5 x 20 cm, est. $3,000-5,000. Smooth Sailing
Lot 124 – Weaver Hawkins, Landscape, 1949, 38 x 56.5 cm, est. $1,500-2,500. Landscape Escape
Lot 127 – Brett Whiteley, Kerry, 198, etching 21/30, 63.5 x 47.5 cm, est. $4,500-5,500. The Eyes have it
Lot 134 – Harry J Wedge, Sorry Business I, 2005, 79 x 198 cm, est. $3,000-5,000. You won’t be sorry