Vic: Christie's set for $5 million sale at final auctions

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2006
Vic: Christie's set for $5 million sale at final auctions

By Catherine Best

MELBOURNE, April 10 AAP - The first of two final auctions by closing Australian art
auctioneer Christie's will be held in Melbourne tonight with last sales expected to top
$5 million.

The auctions, at 6.30pm (AEST) tonight and 2pm tomorrow, will feature 320 Australian,
international and contemporary works.

Christie's is closing its Australian sales operations after more than 35 years to focus
on the more lucrative Asian market.

Paintings director Jon Dwyer said more than 300 people were expected to attend the
auctions, which feature a "who's who" of Australian art.

"We've had a fabulous viewing here in Melbourne, it's been one of the best attended
viewings," Mr Dwyer said.

"It's a good group to go out with, it's really the who's who of Australian art.

"We want to go out on a very positive and a very up-beat note and I'm sure that will
happen tonight."

Mr Dwyer said Christie's was expecting records to be broken and sales over the two
days to top $5 million.

The collection draws on the works of 180 Australian artists.

The showpiece is Fred Williams' 1965 painting Upwey Landscape which is expected to
tonight fetch up to $800,000 - a record for the artist.

Also going under the hammer are Rupert Bunny's 1908 `A Game of Patience', John Brack's
1978 `Halt' and five paintings by the legendary Pro Hart, who died recently.

Mr Dwyer said the last three months had been an "emotional rollercoaster" as the final
auctions approached but stood by Christie's decision to close.

"Even in a good year from a global point of view we're (Australian auctions) only one
per cent of the turnover," he said.

"Christie's will set up a presence here but not a showroom so to speak."

Two Christie's representatives will remain in Sydney and Melbourne to source artwork
for offshore auctions.

But the Australian market would continue to be well serviced by Christie's competitors,
Mr Dwyer said.

The auctions come as rival Sotheby's launches its first auction of 2006 in Melbourne
tomorrow, which is tipped to rewrite the history books.

Fifty-seven fine Australian artworks will go under the hammer but it is John Brack's
1954 work `The Bar' which is in the spotlight.

The painting is tipped to fetch more than $2 million - smashing the previous record
of $1.98 million for a 20th-century Australian painting.

AAP cmb/ce/maur/de

KEYWORD: CHRISTIES (PIX AVAILABLE)

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