03/09/2001
by Luisa Chiavacci

At Phillips modern and contemporary art sale in Sydney, Australia, on the 30th of July, an Australian private collector paid a record $ 38,298 (€ 43,422) for Tracey Moffatt’s photograph Something More No.1. The work was one of Brisbane born Moffatt's better known images, showing a young girl in a red dress standing in front of an outback shanty. The only comparable auction of her work was at Sotheby’s, New York in May where a version of the same work sold for $ 38,125 (€ 43,296) carrying a presale estimate of $ 10,500-15,500 (€ 11,700-17,600). This was an example of how the tide seemed to be turning for contemporary art in Australia where auction houses rarely go for such recently executed artworks due simply to the lack of a market interest. On the 26^th of August at the Bryon Kennedy centre, Fox studios, Sydney, Christie’s held their largest contemporary sale ever. With presale expectations predicting total sales of $ 582,200-793,900 (€ 636,150-867,450), Christie’s were attempting to follow their success in contemporary sales generated at their auction rooms in London and New York.

This year’s sale contained 143 lots and was the second auction in this category since the contemporary department opened up in 1999 under the directorship of Annette Larkin. About 200 people, including an encouragingly young crowd in their 30s and 40s, turned up at Christie's inaugural auction of 120 contemporary Australian artworks in Sydney 2000, creating a sale total of $ 635,100 (€ 693,960). However despite an increase in Australian media coverage this year and a third more people in attendance than last year, the sale produced a disappointing $ 492,660 (€ 538,300) sale total. The noticeable successes included Bill Henson’s C-type photograph, 80 x 64 cm, from 1983-84 entitled Untitled which sold for $ 4,476 (€ 4,891) after an estimate of $ 1,587-2,645 (€ 1,734-2,890); Angela Brennan’s oil on canvas Elegant and beautiful, 153 x 153 cm, which doubled its estimate reaching $ 12,432 (€ 13,584); and thirdly, 3 works by Imants Alfred Tillers which were all gouache, synthetic polymer paint and oilstick on canvasboards of different dimensions. The Reluctant Republic and Man with wings both made $ 14,916 (€ 16,299) after estimates of $ 7,934-13,222 (€ 8,670-14,450) and Not yet Rosa Mutabilius 2 sold for $ 12,425 (€ 13,580) after a lower estimate of $ 7,934-10,575 (€ 8,670-11,557). Also Sydney artist Susan Norrie’s oil on board Untitled (from Tall Tales and True) from 1987 sold for $ 18,508 (€ 20,226) after an estimate of $ 9,518-13,222 (€ 10,402-14,450).

Christie’s publicity department had stressed the importance of the inclusion of contemporary works made by indigenous artists before the sale and there were important prices made. Uta UtaTjangala’s Men’s and Women’s Dreaming at Wilkinkarra, a synthetic polymer on canvas, 182.3 x 122 cm, from 1986 sold for $ 16,157 (€ 17,654) after an estimate of $ 9,518-13,222 (€ 10,402-14,450); Turkey Tolsen Tjupurrula’s Straightening Spears, a polymer on canvas realized a price of $ 31,077 (€ 33,953) upper estimate; and Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s Arlatyey dreaming, a synthetic polymer on canvas from 1999 sold mid estimate for $ 21,754 (€ 23,764). However not all artists in this category achieved sales. Works by Butcher Cherel and Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri both failed to sell.

On the night Tracey Moffatt’s 1991 colour photograph, 101.5 x 81.2 cm, Pet Thang 4 did not perform well, only reaching $ 3,173 (€ 3,468) against an estimate of $ 3,169-4,225 (€ 3,467-4,622). However the biggest disappointment for Christie’s was their failure to entice a largely local audience to invest in works by foreign artists. An important untitled work by Cindy Sherman from 1999 went unsold with an estimate of $ 21,152-31,729 (€ 23,126-34,689) and lesser works by established artists Anish Kapoor and Ed Ruscha both failed to sell. With 95% of the works on offer being from Australian artists it would be hard to make any comparison with the London or New York contemporary sales. In order to stimulate a stronger contemporary market in Australia, Christies should perhaps show more important European and American works alongside those from Australia.