IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

Pictured top  Lot 14 SIDNEY NOLAN 1917-1992    Desert Bird 1948   enamel paint on composition board  90.2 x 120.7 cm Estimate $500,000–700,000 Sold for $1,625,000 on 21 November 2023 © The Sidney Nolan Trust. All rights reserved. DACS/Copyright Agency, 2023 VIEW LOT	Pictured above Lot 17 CHARLES BLACKMAN 1928-2018    Girl with Flowers (1958)    oil on composition board    150 x 132 cm    Estimate $700,000–900,000 Sold for $1,250,000 on 21 November 2023 © Charles Blackman/Copyright Agency, 2023 VIEW LOT

IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

The exhibition will be on view in Sydney today, Tuesday 21 November, 10 am to 5 pm, at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

Among the highlights of the sale is Charles Blackman’s magnificent Girl with Flowers (1958) (lot 17, estimate $700,000–900,000, pictured above).

Whilst Charles Blackman is best-known for his series of ‘Schoolgirl’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ subjects, there is a third sequence of major consequence: the works generally described as his ‘Girls and Flowers’ or ‘Faces and Flowers’ paintings.  Created during the late 1950s, these remarkable images are progressively assuming their rightful position as both a highlight of Blackman’s extensive oeuvre as well as a seminal component within the history of figurative painting in twentieth century Australian art.

Offered for auction for the first time, we are honoured to present Girl with Flowers, created during one of the most desirable periods in Blackman’s career and included in the seminal Antipodean exhibition in August 1959.

The auction will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra at 6.30 pm on 21 November 2023.

For more information, please contact:

IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

The exhibition will be on view in Sydney from Friday 17 November – Tuesday 21 November, 10 am to 5 pm, at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

Among the highlights of the sale is Howard Arkley’s spectacular Shadow Factories 1991 (lot 12, estimate $800,000–1,000,000, pictured above).

Shadow Factories, a work of complexity and exuberance, bursts with a disruptive profusion of colours, shapes, patterns and textures.  One can sense Arkley’s delight in selecting and collaging from magazine cuttings and interior design swatches that were then photocopied, projected onto the canvas, and meticulously coloured, undergoing their own construction and transformation.

One of only seven major compositions on the cityscape theme in Arkley’s remarkable oeuvre – all of which are tightly held in private collections – the present Shadow Factories forms the last in the sequence.  Offered for the first time for public sale, Shadow Factories remains a composition of enduring appeal that represents a defining moment within the history and development of twentieth century Australian art.

The auction will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra at 6.30 pm on 21 November 2023.

For more information, please contact:

IMPORTANT JEWELS & WATCHES 

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

The December 2023 sale features an impressive selection of dazzling diamonds and stunning coloured gemstones alongside highly sought-after designer and signed jewels.  Spectacular pieces by Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston, and Ilias Lalaounis are complemented by watches from Piaget, Franck Muller, Hublot, and Audemars Piguet and a selection of enchanting Objects of Virtu.

A particular highlight of the collection is this stunning 18ct gold and diamond ‘Signature X’ necklace, Tiffany & Co. (lot 31, estimate $36,000–46,000, pictured above).  

VIEWINGS

 IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

The exhibition will be on view in Sydney from Thursday 16 November – Tuesday 21 November, 10 am to 5 pm, at 30 Queen Street, Woollahra.

Among the highlights of the sale is Charles Blackman’s magnificent Girl with Flowers (1958) (lot 17, estimate $700,000–900,000, pictured above).

Whilst Charles Blackman is best-known for his series of ‘Schoolgirl’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ subjects, there is a third sequence of major consequence: the works generally described as his ‘Girls and Flowers’ or ‘Faces and Flowers’ paintings.  Created during the late 1950s, these remarkable images are progressively assuming their rightful position as both a highlight of Blackman’s extensive oeuvre as well as a seminal component within the history of figurative painting in twentieth century Australian art.

Offered for auction for the first time, we are honoured to present Girl with Flowers, created during one of the most desirable periods in Blackman’s career and included in the seminal Antipodean exhibition in August 1959.

The auction will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, 111 Queen Street, Woollahra at 6.30 pm on 21 November 2023.

For more information, please contact:

The Guardian  |  Sian Cain

Two works by Sidney Nolan that haven’t changed hands since they were painted more than 70 years ago – including one believed to be the first he ever sold commercially and a Christmas gift to his wife – are heading to auction this month.

IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

The exhibition will be on view in Melbourne from Wednesday 8 November – Sunday 12 November, 10 am to 5 pm, at 14-16 Collins Street.

Among the highlights of the sale is Sidney Nolan’s spectacular Desert Bird 1948 (lot 14, estimate $500,000–700,000, pictured above).  In 1948 Nolan produced an extraordinary series of Queensland outback subjects that launched his national and international career.  Renowned for their highly individual and intuitive response to the Australian landscape and its inhabitants, compositions from this series are held by numerous Australian and international public institutions.

Desert Bird bears a particularly distinguished provenance to match its high quality.  The work was purchased by the grandfather of the present owner in early 1949 and was later acknowledged by Nolan as his first painting sold to an independent collector.  Extensively included in major exhibitions and publications, Desert Bird has long been revered as one of Nolan’s finest compositions from the period remaining in private ownership.  We are particularly honoured to be entrusted with the sale of this painting, which since its creation has formed part of the same family collection.

Following Melbourne, the Sydney exhibition will take place from Thursday 16 November – Tuesday 21 November, 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 21 November 2023.

For more information, please contact:

IMPORTANT AUSTRALIAN ART

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 Howard Arkley’s spectacular Shadow Factories 1991 (lot 12, estimate $800,000–1,000,000, pictured above).

Shadow Factories, a work of complexity and exuberance, bursts with a disruptive profusion of colours, shapes, patterns and textures.  One can sense Arkley’s delight in selecting and collaging from magazine cuttings and interior design swatches that were then photocopied, projected onto the canvas, and meticulously coloured, undergoing their own construction and transformation.

One of only seven major compositions on the cityscape theme in Arkley’s remarkable oeuvre – all of which are tightly held in private collections – the present Shadow Factories forms the last in the sequence.  Offered for the first time for public sale, Shadow Factories remains a composition of enduring appeal that represents a defining moment within the history and development of twentieth century Australian art.

The exhibition will take place in Melbourne from Wednesday 8 November – Sunday 12 November, 10 am to 5 pm at 14-16 Collins Street, and in Sydney from Thursday 16 November – Tuesday 21 November, 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 21 November 2023.

For more information, please contact: