News & Video
Rarely Seen Brack, Arkley Works Headline Return of In-room Auctions
17 June 2020Financial Review | Gabriella Coslovich
Next week brings a small but significant milestone to the art market with the return to live in-room auctions.
Smith & Singer are the first in line with their Important Australian and International Art auction in Sydney next Wednesday night. It is not only the highest value sale so far this year, with a total estimate of $5.9 million to $8.3 million, but also an auction that will see two major works by prominent Australian artists offered on the secondary market for the first time.
McCubbin Masterpieces Reappear on the Market After a Century & Almost Half a Century Respectively
12 June 2020
The Sydney Morning Herald | Meaghan Wilson-Anastasios
We've all looked at an old family photo, wondered at our former selves through a dated frame. But what if the image was painted by one of Australia's most celebrated artists, John Brack, whose angular, moody portrayals of mid-20th century Australia delivered penetrating insights into our culture and urban life?
This week Charlotte Brack saw, for the first time, a portrait that her father painted of her in 1958, when she was just four. It was unveiled for her at auction house Smith & Singer where it is about to go to auction (at a published estimate of around half a million dollars).
Contemporary Masterpiece by Howard Arkley to Lead June Sale
10 June 2020Online Art Auctions Surprise on the Upside
10 June 2020Financial Review | Gabriella Coslovich
The sums that art buyers are willing to spend online have crept up, reflecting a pragmatic shift that has occurred across the economy during the pandemic.
Only a month ago Saleroom reported that the comfort threshold for online bidding hovered around $50,000, with a couple of notable exceptions five and six years ago. But in the space of two weeks we’ve seen an internet bidder pay $190,000 (hammer) for the 20.246 carat “Wakil Emerald” at Smith & Singer’s online jewels auction, and another collector rise to a $100,000 internet bid for Del Kathryn Barton’s portrait of Hugo Weaving at Deutscher and Hackett’s inaugural solo online auction last week.
Staring at Art on the Wall is Bigger Than Ever
10 June 2020The Australian | Ashleigh Wilson
Geoffrey Smith makes it his business to know the minds of collectors. And while the pandemic has been a strange time for all, those lucky enough to be surrounded by art have found themselves developing a renewed appreciation for their collection during lockdown.
“They’re spending more time at home, looking at what’s hanging on the wall,” said Smith, chairman of fine art auction house Smith & Singer. “Never has there been a time when art has been more important than now.”
As galleries start to open their doors around the nation, auction houses are preparing to welcome buyers back into their showrooms after a long period of absence.
Hidden Masterpiece by John Brack Emerges for Auction in June at Smith & Singer
29 May 2020Exceptional Jewels Shine at Inaugural Virtual Auction at Smith & Singer
28 May 2020
Nine News | Mike Dalton
Among the kaleidoscope of businesses that were forced to close when coronavirus seeped into our lives were the nation's auctioneers of fine art and objects. However, as the curve flattened and thanks to online bidding, auction houses are beginning to let the hammer drop again and tonight sees one of the country's biggest gemstones go under the gavel.
Known as The Wakil Emerald, it is 20-plus carats of pear-shaped, step-cut, claw-set and diamond-rimmed stone, named after its original owner, Sydney property developer couple Isaac and Susan Wakil.