Smith & Singer
News & Video

News & Video

Brett Whiteley’s Multi-Million Dollar Sydney Harbour View to Lead Sotheby’s Australia’s August Sale

26 July 2018

Geoffrey Smith, Chairman of Sotheby’s Australia commented: ‘Harbour (Grey Day) (1978) comes to auction having remained unseen in public for 40 years. The painting beautifully articulates aspects of the Asian aesthetic that appealed so greatly to Whiteley. Here each element of the composition – palm trees, boats, promontories, buildings, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, wharves, bays, together with the great expanse of Sydney Harbour, are applied in a deliberate kind of a calligraphic gesture against a simple, flat, empty background. The painting is a literate, sensual, elegant, and quietly joyous celebration of the good art and the good life; the composition is a quiet exhalation that elevates the soul. Sotheby’s Australia is honoured to offer this rare masterpiece in our August sale of Important Australian Art and we anticipate great excitement from collectors in Australia and internationally.’ Geoffrey Smith, Chairman of Sotheby’s Australia commented: ‘Harbour (Grey Day) (1978) comes to auction having remained unseen in public for 40 years. The painting beautifully articulates aspects of the Asian aesthetic that appealed so greatly to Whiteley. Here each element of the composition – palm trees, boats, promontories, buildings, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, wharves, bays, together with the great expanse of Sydney Harbour, are applied in a deliberate kind of a calligraphic gesture against a simple, flat, empty background. The painting is a literate, sensual, elegant, and quietly joyous celebration of the good art and the good life; the composition is a quiet exhalation that elevates the soul. Sotheby’s Australia is honoured to offer this rare masterpiece in our August sale of Important Australian Art and we anticipate great excitement from collectors in Australia and internationally.’ (197.02 KB)

Warhol and a mystery moon flask top Sotheby's sale

25 July 2018

Australian Financial Review  |  Peter Fish

Sotheby's July auction in Melbourne promised an array of Asian, Australian and European arts and design, but it was a Chinese piece – a curious wooden "moon" flask extensively carved in a naturalistic manner – that topped the sale with a sky-high $87,840.

Sotheby’s Australia to Offer FAREWELL BY DEL KATHRYN BARTON – Estimate $150,000-350,000 –

20 July 2018

Sotheby’s Australia is honoured to announce Del Kathryn Barton’s Farewell 2004 as a highlight of our auction of Important Australian Art this August. One of the most significant works by the internationally renowned artist to ever appear at auction, the painting is a tour de force that captures Barton’s extraordinary vision and technical command. A testament to the artist’s singular vision, Barton’s work was the recent subject of a major survey exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne in 2017-2018. A contemporary cornerstone to our Important Australian Art auction on 28 August, Farewell 2004 carries a pre-sale estimate of $150,000-350,000, and is poised to establish a new world auction record for the artist. Sotheby’s Australia is honoured to announce Del Kathryn Barton’s Farewell 2004 as a highlight of our auction of Important Australian Art this August. One of the most significant works by the internationally renowned artist to ever appear at auction, the painting is a tour de force that captures Barton’s extraordinary vision and technical command. A testament to the artist’s singular vision, Barton’s work was the recent subject of a major survey exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne in 2017-2018. A contemporary cornerstone to our Important Australian Art auction on 28 August, Farewell 2004 carries a pre-sale estimate of $150,000-350,000, and is poised to establish a new world auction record for the artist. (341.27 KB)

Muhammad Ali Punches Above Weight at Sotheby’s Australia

19 July 2018

Fierce bidding delivered champion results at Sotheby’s Australia’s July sale of Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design. The cross-cultural diversity of international arts and design from the first century to contemporary achieved a resounding result of $1,917,596 sold. Bidders fought over two 1978 screenprint portraits of Muhammad Ali with lot 47 selling for $48,800 (estimate $20,000-30,000), while an upper-cut bid for lot 48 delivered $63,440, a fitting result for the three time World Heavyweight Champion as the result nearly tripled the low estimate (estimate $25,000-35,000, pictured). Demand for fine Australian and international art saw bidders punching the air as prices soared for works by Jacob Epstein, Norman Lindsay, John Passmore and Brett Whiteley, with overall results of 130% sold by value for the art section of the sale. Fierce bidding delivered champion results at Sotheby’s Australia’s July sale of Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design. The cross-cultural diversity of international arts and design from the first century to contemporary achieved a resounding result of $1,917,596 sold. Bidders fought over two 1978 screenprint portraits of Muhammad Ali with lot 47 selling for $48,800 (estimate $20,000-30,000), while an upper-cut bid for lot 48 delivered $63,440, a fitting result for the three time World Heavyweight Champion as the result nearly tripled the low estimate (estimate $25,000-35,000, pictured). Demand for fine Australian and international art saw bidders punching the air as prices soared for works by Jacob Epstein, Norman Lindsay, John Passmore and Brett Whiteley, with overall results of 130% sold by value for the art section of the sale. (246.05 KB)

Three Private Collections of Chinese Huanghuali Furniture for Auction at Sotheby’s Australia

13 July 2018

One of the most extensive collections of Chinese furniture recently offered for public sale in Australia, including a selection made from the rare huanghuali timber, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s Australia on 18 July in Sydney. The comprehensive range of furniture including bookcases, cabinets, chairs and tables has been consigned from three private collections in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. One of the most extensive collections of Chinese furniture recently offered for public sale in Australia, including a selection made from the rare huanghuali timber, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s Australia on 18 July in Sydney. The comprehensive range of furniture including bookcases, cabinets, chairs and tables has been consigned from three private collections in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. (213.55 KB)

Treasures of Australian Design feature at Sotheby’s Australia

9 July 2018

Geoffrey Smith commented: ‘In the past 200 years Australia has witnessed some exceptional designers and craftsmen who have imagined and forged objects that have defined Australian style. Sotheby’s Australia is pleased to present several outstanding examples detailing this evolution in our forthcoming Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design sale to be held in Sydney on 18 July. From the Victorian era is a rare inkstand by Julius Schomburgk that retailed though Joachim Matthias Wendt, a highly regarded watchmaker, jeweller and silversmith of Adelaide. Robert Prenzel and Walter Burley Griffin are regarded as integral contributors to the ‘Arts & Crafts’ and ‘Art Deco’ styles in the first decades of the 20th century and are represented by exceptional examples. These items emerging for auction present both experienced and new collectors an opportunity to acquire exceptional pieces of Australian style.’ Geoffrey Smith commented: ‘In the past 200 years Australia has witnessed some exceptional designers and craftsmen who have imagined and forged objects that have defined Australian style. Sotheby’s Australia is pleased to present several outstanding examples detailing this evolution in our forthcoming Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design sale to be held in Sydney on 18 July. From the Victorian era is a rare inkstand by Julius Schomburgk that retailed though Joachim Matthias Wendt, a highly regarded watchmaker, jeweller and silversmith of Adelaide. Robert Prenzel and Walter Burley Griffin are regarded as integral contributors to the ‘Arts & Crafts’ and ‘Art Deco’ styles in the first decades of the 20th century and are represented by exceptional examples. These items emerging for auction present both experienced and new collectors an opportunity to acquire exceptional pieces of Australian style.’ (204.79 KB)

Retailer's prized glass collection on sale

4 July 2018

Australian Financial Review  | Peter Fish

An extensive collection of Galle and Daum Nancy glass owned by a wealthy Sydney retailing family comes on the market this month in a sale believed to be the largest offering of these wares in Australia.

Muhammad meets Marilyn: Prints & Photographs by Andy Warhol & Bert Stern

3 July 2018

Geoffrey Smith, Chairman of Sotheby’s Australia commented: ‘Portraits of two international icons of the twentieth century by Andy Warhol and Bert Stern are highlights in our forthcoming sale of Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design to be held in Sydney on 18 July 2018. In the age of Instagram, Warhol’s fabled prediction that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” has never been more prophetic and relevant to contemporary culture. Warhol discovered the burgeoning celebrity status of sportsmen in 1977 produced a screenprint portfolio dedicated to the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion Mohamad Ali in 1978, and we are excited to offer two of the four prints from this portfolio in our sale.’ Geoffrey Smith, Chairman of Sotheby’s Australia commented: ‘Portraits of two international icons of the twentieth century by Andy Warhol and Bert Stern are highlights in our forthcoming sale of Fine Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design to be held in Sydney on 18 July 2018. In the age of Instagram, Warhol’s fabled prediction that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” has never been more prophetic and relevant to contemporary culture. Warhol discovered the burgeoning celebrity status of sportsmen in 1977 produced a screenprint portfolio dedicated to the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion Mohamad Ali in 1978, and we are excited to offer two of the four prints from this portfolio in our sale.’ (197.08 KB)

Sydney's best hotels

3 July 2018

Gourmet Traveller

Whether it's breathtaking views you're after or five-star amenities, there's a Sydney hotel for you. Here are the city's premier addresses, as seen in the 2018 Gourmet Traveller Australian Hotel Guide.

Page 16 of 62     « « Prev 67891011121314151617181920212223242526Next »»

We use our own and third party cookies to enable you to navigate around our Site, use its features and engage on social media, and to allow us to perform analytics, remember your preferences, provide services that you have requested and produce content and advertisements tailored to your interests, both on our Site as well as others. For more information, or to learn how to change your cookie or marketing preferences, please see our updated Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy.

By continuing to use our Site, you consent to our use of cookies and to the practices described in our updated Privacy Policy.

CONTINUE