IMPORTANT PAINTINGS & CONTEMPORARY ART
MOSSGREEN-WEBB’S AUCTION HOUSE
TOP
Lot 13 Charles Tole Surf Club $45,000—$55,000
RIGHT
Lot 27 Milan Mrkusich Three Part Painting (Alchemical) $32,000—$42,000 TOP LEFT
ABOVE
Lot 11 Michael Parekowhai Portrait of Elmer Keith #1 $15,000—$25,000
Lot 23 Philip Clairmont Carrington Chair $50,000—$70,000
BELOW LEFT
Lot 30 Pat Hanly Fire On Earth $50,000—$70,000
Two works by senior abstractionist Milan Mrkusich are also included. Three Part Painting (Alchemical) (1993) and Meta Gold No. 1 (1969) psychologically absorb and detach the viewer through a process of expressionistic automatism, which speaks beautifully to the artist’s contribution to our modern narrative. The principles of New Zealand’s early modernist movement cannot be better presented than they are in Surf Club (1970) by Charles Tole. The architectural forms of the clubhouse lend themselves to the cubist treatment—all forms are simplified and stylised within a bright, multicoloured palette resulting in one of the artist’s most successful, mature works.
Pg. 14 —
LEFT
Lot 9 Pat Hanly Fire On Earth $50,000—$70,000
A small group of photographic works includes examples by Jae Hoon Lee, Heather Straka and Gavin Hipkins alongside two works by Laurence Aberhart which capture, respectively, snapshots of life in West Huntly and the reverential serenity of a Urewera marae. Marti Friedlander’s unguarded image of artists and friends, Tony Fomison and Philip Clairmont, provides a sociological, documentary record in the history of New Zealand art. The contemporary component of the sale is supported by 62 works from the collection of Nadene Milne; most of these were produced in the past decade and are featured in a stand-alone catalogue. This collection recounts its own narrative, offering insight into the collecting principles of a leading primary market gallerist.
— Pg. 15