The exhibition will be on view in Melbourne from Wednesday 10 August until Sunday 14 August, 10 am to 5 pm, at 14-16 Collins Street.

Among the highlights of the sale are four exceptional compositions by Cressida Campbell, including the impressive and expansive Garden Island 1990.  With its open-hearted and generous view of Sydney Harbour and its naval base, Campbell’s Garden Island provides the viewer with a delicate balance of avid detail and panoramic space.  The subject counts itself as one of the most popular visual histories of modern Australia, that of depicting Sydney Cove (Warrane), and assumes an important position within the overall iconography of Australian art.

Following Melbourne, the Sydney exhibition will take place from 18-24 August, 10 am to 5 pm at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

The auction will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra at 6.30 pm on 24 August 2022.

IMPORTANT JEWELS & WATCHES

Last night’s auction of Important Jewels & Watches built on the success of our March auction with competitive bidding in the room, on the telephones and online resulting in a sale total of $1,343,127, the highest since 2019.

Items of quality and allure attracted particularly strong competition, with bidders vying for dazzling jewels of all variety.  Prominent results were achieved for jewels by Graff, Bulgari and Cartier, complemented by exceptional results for watches by A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe and Rolex.

Among the notable results was this stunning Patek Philippe 18ct gold Celestial ref 5102J-001 automatic astronomical wristwatch (lot 120, estimate $120,000–180,000, pictured above), which sold for $202,500.

Patek Philippe Celestial ref 5102J-001 

An 18ct gold astronomical wristwatch with sky chart, phases and position of the moon and time of meridian passage of Sirius and the moon, circa 2009.
Estimate $120,000–180,000 
Sold for $202,500

VIEW LOT

The digital catalogue for the upcoming Important Australian Art auction at Smith & Singer is now available to view online.

Among the highlights of the sale is Ethel Carrick’s magnificent Sur la Plage (On the Sands, Dinard) 1911 (lot 21, estimate $600,000-800,000, pictured above).  

It is not difficult to understand why Ethel Carrick has become one of the most highly regarded, appreciated and beloved of all Australian artists working during the first half of the twentieth century, and that her images of the beach, in particular, have captured our hearts and minds.

In exquisite compositions such as Sur la Plage (On the Sands, Dinard) 1911, the artist revels in the lively depiction of the warm sun enveloping a golden expanse of sand, while children play surrounded by elegantly dressed women.  The candy-striped bathing huts offer a sheltered refuge from the weather as well as privacy amongst the fellow pleasure-seekers.  Within this enclosed and vibrant scene Ethel Carrick evokes powerful memories that merge the past with the present and a yearning for such joyous times filled with the laughter of children and sound of waves breaking on the distant shore.

The exhibition will take place in Melbourne from Wednesday 10 August – Sunday 14 August, 10 am to 5 pm at 14-16 Collins Street, and in Sydney from Thursday 18 August – Wednesday 24 August, 10 am to 5 pm at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

The auction will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra at 6.30 pm on 24 August 2022.

IMPORTANT JEWELS & WATCHES

The Sydney exhibition for the forthcoming Important Jewels & Watches auction will continue on Tuesday 2 August, from 10 am – 5 pm, and on Wednesday 3 August from 10 am – 2 pm, at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra. 

The August sale features a dazzling array of diamonds, coloured diamonds and precious gemstones along with signed jewels by the most sought-after international jewellers, including impressive designs by Bulgari, Cartier, Graff, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels, complemented by jewelled watches by A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe and Rolex.

A spectacular highlight of the sale is this stunning Patek Philippe 18ct gold Celestial ref 5102J-001 automatic astronomical wristwatch (lot 120, estimate $120,000–180,000, pictured above).   

VIEWINGS

Smith & Singer are delighted to offer Godfrey Miller's Nude and the Moon (1959-1964) for private sale.

Godfrey Miller’s work is unique in the canon of Australian modern art.  His paintings bring together a diverse range of artistic experiences and influences: early training as an architect, travel through China and Japan, classical drawing training at the Slade School, and the exacting models of painters such as Claude, Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso.  He was also a thinker; a modest, frugal, retiring man who read widely – from Plato to Goethe, from Rudolf Steiner to Krishnamurti – and who strove to express his theosophical-mystical beliefs in concrete pictorial form. 

The result of this complex mix of formal and spiritual inclinations was a very particular, individualistic style.  In Miller’s characteristic mature paintings – in figures, still lifes and landscapes alike – the canvas is criss-crossed by hundreds of lines inked with ruler and compass, which form a grid or matrix for thousands of paint-strokes.

Monochromatic in tone and reductive in construction, the present Nude and the Moon remains a composition that combines intense observation and refined abstraction and acts not only as apogee and summary of the artist’s achievement, but as a refined example of Godfrey Miller’s unique contribution to the history and development of Australian art.

The painting was acquired by fellow painter Clifton Pugh and has resided in his family’s collection for more than sixty years.  

Pictured above 

GODFREY MILLER 1893-1964
Nude and the Moon (1959-1964)
oil, pen and ink on canvas 
62 x 103.7 cm    
For private sale     

The Sydney exhibition for the forthcoming Important Jewels & Watches auction will be open to the public from Friday 22 July to Monday 25 July, from 10 am – 5 pm, and on Wednesday 3 August from 10 am – 2 pm, at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra. 

The August sale features a dazzling array of diamonds, coloured diamonds and precious gemstones along with signed jewels by the most sought-after international jewellers, including impressive designs by Bulgari, Cartier, Graff, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels, complemented by jewelled watches by A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe and Rolex.

A spectacular highlight of the sale is this stunning Diamond and Argyle Pink Diamond ‘Royale’ Ring, Hardy Brothers Jewellers (lot 67, estimate $115,000–135,000, pictured above).   

VIEWINGS

Pictured top

Diamond and Argyle Pink Diamond ‘Royale’ Ring, Hardy Brothers Jewellers 
Centring a claw-set modified square brilliant-cut diamond weighing 10.25 carats to shoulders collet-set with a pear-shaped Argyle natural pink diamond framed by pavé-set near colourless brilliant-cut diamonds and an open work near colourless diamond-set gallery and under-rail, the Argyle pink diamonds and smaller near colourless diamonds together weighing 0.29 carat and approximately 1.60 carats respectively, mounted in platinum, size I½ with reduction band, signed HB for Hardy Brothers.
Estimate $115,000–135,000

VIEW LOT

The Southern Star  |  Jackie Keogh

Learn about John Kelly’s very special recent visitor to Reen Farm by legendary rocker and social campaigner, Bob Geldof in a moving tribute to the victims of Ireland’s 19th century famine, which had a particularly devastating impact on the area where John now calls home.

Smith & Singer are proud to be the exclusive international agent for John Kelly.

The Melbourne exhibition for the forthcoming Important Jewels & Watches auction will be open to the public from Friday 22 July to Monday 25 July, from 10 am – 5 pm, at 14-16 Collins Street, Melbourne. 

The August sale features a dazzling array of diamonds, coloured diamonds and precious gemstones along with signed jewels by the most sought-after international jewellers, including impressive designs by Bulgari, Cartier, Graff, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels, complemented by jewelled watches by A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe and Rolex.

A sparkling highlight of the sale includes this Diamond Ring (lot 55, estimate $120,000–140,000, pictured above).   

VIEWINGS

John Kelly: The Lazarus Series will close to the public in two days, after a successful three weeks on show at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra. 

Featuring 16 recent works, this exhibition encompasses major paintings and sculptures that feature the most prominent motifs in John Kelly’s oeuvre.  In the artist's words, it marks the moment 'the kangaroo met the cow – a marriage of old ideas with new ideas and everything in-between.'

John Kelly: The Lazarus Series epitomises the artist's renowned sense of humour and shows that his inimitable 'culture-jamming' is as present as ever in his practice.  The exhibition will be open to the public 10 am – 5 pm, 7 July – 8 July 2022 at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

Pictured above 

JOHN KELLY born 1965   
Two Cows Fucking 2021    
painted bronze, artist's proof from an edition of 9
plus 3 artist proofs   
183 x 160 x 44.5 cm   
Price on application    
© Courtesy of John Kelly

Consign now to our forthcoming auction of Important Australian & International Art.

In 2021, Smith & Singer achieved seven of the 10 highest prices for art at auction in Australia that were combined with excellent sold rates and performances against estimates.

Building on the resounding success of our April sale, our carefully curated August 2022 auction will include significant examples of historical, modern and contemporary Australian and international art. A number of exceptional works are already consigned, including William Delafield Cook's iconic Australian country scene, Gundagai Revisited 2006 (estimate $150,000–250,000, pictured above).

To participate in this sale, please contact our highly experienced specialists for a confidential appraisal.  You may also use our appraisal estimate form.

Pictured above 
WILLIAM DELAFIELD COOK 1936-2015
Gundagai Revisited 2006  
synthetic polymer paint on canvas  
76.5 x 183 cm  
Estimate $150,000-250,000